Streamlining Non-tariff Measures for Agri-food Trade in ASEAN

Abstract

Streamlining non-tariff measures (NTMs) plays an important role in improving market access for trade in goods among ASEAN-10 countries. An assessment of the impact of NTMs in ASEAN reveals that the agri-food trade has been constrained by contingent trade protective measures, quantity-control measures, technical barriers to trade (TBT), and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures. The proliferation of SPS and TBT measures, coupled with their severe effects, suggests the need to accelerate NTM reforms in ASEAN.