Emerging Links between Retail Transformation and Agrifood Trade in Asia

International Workshop held in association with the meetings of the International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium (IATRC, www.iatrcweb.org), July 8-9, Beijing, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Beijing.

Major Sponsors Michigan State University and Farm Foundation/USDA-ERS. Supporting Sponsors Southampton University, Washington State University, California State University at Fresno, and the Regoverning Markets Program (IIED)

The issues addressed by the conference are in three sets:

1. What are the patterns of retail transformation (spread of supermarkets, modernization of their procurement systems) in Asia?

2. What are the hypotheses and emerging evidence concerning how that retail transformation affects and will affect agrifood trade and inter-country supply chains (level, nature, geographic patterns, and actors)?

3. How does policy (for example, tariffs, standards, and other regulations) influence the trade effects of retail transformation?

4. What are the policy, competitiveness strategy, and research agenda implications of the answers to the above two sets of issues?

Program:

Sunday, 8 July

15:25-15:35 Welcome and explanation of Workshop by Thomas WAHL (Director of the IMPACT Center and Professor of Economics, Washington State University) for IATRC

15:35-15:50 Workshop Keynote: Asia Supermarket Revolution and Potential Trade Implications" by Thomas REARDON (Professor of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University, and Co-Director, IFPRI/MSU Joint Program on Markets in Asia)

15:50 -16:10 Industry Guest Speakers: Metro, China: Nicolas LAMBERT, Destination Buying Department Manager, Fruits and Vegetables, China; REN Bin, Lead Buyer, Fruits and Vegetables, Buying Unit North.

16:10-16:25 Questions to Industry Guest Speakers

16:25-16:40 Retail transformation's regional trade, FDI, and supply chain impacts in Asia: view from China and Northeast Asia: view from China, HU Dinghuan (Professor, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing)

16:40-16:55 Retail transformation's regional trade, FDI, and supply chain impacts in Southeast Asia: a view from Malaysia: Larry Chee-Yoong WONG, Senior Fellow, Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

16:55-17:10 Retail transformation's regional trade, FDI, and supply chain impacts in Southeast Asia: a view from Thailand: Nipon POAPONGSAKORN, Senior Consultant, Thailand. Development Research Institute and Professor of Economics, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand

17:10-17:25 Retail transformation's regional trade, FDI, and supply chain impacts in Asia: view from China and Northeast Asia: view from Rep of Korea: LEE Jung-Hee, Professor in the Department of Industrial Economics Chung-Ang University, Rep. of Korea, and officer of the Society of Asian Retailing and Distribution

17:25-17:45 Discussion

Monday, July 9

16:00-16:15 Workshop Keynote Day 2: Neil WRIGLEY, Professor, School of Geography, University of Southampton, UK: "Case of Tesco: entry into Asia, and its local, regional and global procurement systems affecting trade within and from/to Asia"

16:15-16:35 Industry Guest Speaker: Carrefour, China: Ms. Nadege CLAUDEL, Quality and Food Safety Director

16:35-16:40 Questions to Industry Guest Speaker

16:40-17:00 Industry Guest Speaker: Mr. CHANG Yongde, Board Chairman of Lanbo Green Agricultural Science and Technical Limited Company, Beijing

17:00-17:05 Questions to Industry Speaker

17:05-17:20 Retail transformation's regional trade, FDI, and supply chain impacts in Southeast Asia: a view from the Philippines: Larry DIGAL, Dean, School of Management, University of the Philippines at Mindanao

17:20-17:35 Retail transformation's regional trade, FDI, and supply chain impacts in Southeast Asia: a view from Indonesia: Ronnie NATAWIDJAJA, Professor in the Department of Social Economics of Agriculture, Padjadjaran University and Director of the Centre for Agricultural Policy and Agribusiness Studies, Bandung, Indonesia

17:35-17:50 Implications for rural development in Asia: Kevin CHEN, Canada-China Agricultural Program

17:50 -18:00 (and continued informally in evening): Towards Implications of our workshop for the Trade Policy and Research Agenda, as Discussant from Presentations (Mechel PAGGI, California State University Fresno and Director of the Center for Agricultural Business)