b'DECEMBER 19, 2022 - JANUARY 22, 2023AGRICULTURAL SHIPPING 11profitabilitythaninsupport-Global trade in agricultural products(RULEMAKINGcontin- ingthegrowthanddevelop-ued from page 10)reachadecisionand/orevi- ment of U.S. exporters. under stress dence of good-faith consider- o CeanC arrIers vsa gThe COVID pandemic, supply chain disruptions and war have raised aware- ation of a proposal or requestHIppersto negotiate. sness of the fragile nature of global agriculture trade. AsagriculturalexportersThe FMCs brief under OSRA see it, the rulemaking allows22includespromot[ing]the By Manik Mehta, AJOTacarriersbusinessdevelop- growthanddevelopmentof mentstrategytobeusedasUnited States exports The TheCOVIDpandemic,Decliningsoybeanoutput,ond-mostpopulouscountry,AgTC wants the exacerbated by the disruptiverising grain imports, and therecordedthesecond-highestFMC to scrap the supplychainbottlenecksatcontinuing loss of farmland toagricultural output at $403.5The NPRM provides carriersproposed rule and portsandtheUkrainecrisis,industrial and urban develop- billion in 2020. Of that totalaloophole large enough to sailstart from scratch.also made the world aware ofment were blamed.agriculturaloutput,$382.2a 22,000 TEU ship through withC a r r i e r s the fragile nature of the globalChinasurpassedtheUSbillionwasattributabletocontend that it is agriculture and food trade.and the EU in 2019, to becomefood production. room to spare. AgTC in com- theirpracticeto Indeed,therecentG-20theworldsleadingimporterIndia is the worlds larg- ments to proposed new rules. refuse service to summitinBali,Indonesia,of agricultural products, withest producer of milk, jute, andindividualship-emphatically called for updat- imports valued at $133.1 bil- pulses (a class of legumes thatareasonablebasistorefrainpers only when ingglobalagriculturefoodlion, driven by rising demandincludesdrybeans,lentils,fromcarryingexportcargo.thatshipperhaspresenteda traderules,andforfacilitat- forland-intensivecropslikeand chickpeas). The countryThe NPRM provides carrierscircumstanceinwhichthe ingagriculturetradeaimedsoybeans, sorghum, and cotton,isalsotheworldssecond- a loophole large enough to sailcarrier feels a business trans-atpreventingmalnutritionaswellasmeat,dairy,fruit,largest producer of rice, wheat,a 22,000 TEU ship through actioncannotreasonablybe and hunger.This resolve wasand vegetables. sugarcane,fruit,vegetables,withroomtospare,wroteundertaken, the World Ship-containedintheG-20Balicotton, and groundnuts the AgTC in comments filedpingCouncil(WSC) asserted LeadersDeclarationattheI ndIaa go utputt ops Nevertheless, India remainsinresponsetotheNPRM.in its comment.conclusionofthesummit,$400bIllIon (STRESScontinued onIt suggests a greater interest(RULEMAKINGcontin-callingforanacceleratedIndia,theworldssec- page 12) inpromotingoceancarriersued on page 23)transformationtowardssus-tainableandresilientagri-culture and food systems and supplychains.TheDecla-rationalsounderscoredthe importanceofnotimposing export prohibitions or restric-tionsonfoodandfertilizers in a manner inconsistent with relevant WTO provisions. Theworldstopfour agricultureproducingcoun-triesChina,India,theUS and Brazilshare the advan-tagesoflargepopulations, ample land area, and climate zones suitable for growing a variety of crops, though there arealsodifferencesinthe role food production plays in their economies. incongruitiesSustainabilityThereare aboutthesefourtopagricul-ture countries. China is rankedIs Our Businessastheworldslargestgrain producer,yetithasbecome increasingly dependent on food imports over the years.Indias cropsareconsumed,mostly, locally.The US continues to be the worlds top food exporter, thanks to high crop yields and well-developed agricultural infra-structure.Brazil is the fourth-largest food producer but also the second largest importer.C HIna tHeW orldsl argesta gI mporterChinawasbyfarthe worldsleadingagricultural producerwith2020annual output valued at $1.56 trillion, $1.5trillionofwhichwas food,accordingtotheFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.Agricultural output includes both food and non-food prod-ucts.Examplesofnon-food agriculturalgoodsincludeFood Wastesilk, rubber, wool, cotton, andSustainable Reefer Low GWP Mitigation Energytobacco. Technology Refrigerants Technology EfficiencyChinasagriculturalpro-ductionithastheworlds largestpopulationat1.45Its not just the boxbillionandisslightlyaheadits our approach to offering sustainable fleet solutions bundledSeaCubeofIndias1.41billionhaswith leading edge technology that makes the difference. C O N T A I N E R L E A S I N Gdeclinedfromfullself-suffi-ciency in 2000 to relying onVisit www.seacubecontainers.com to learn more. seacubecontainers.comimports of more than 23% of its food requirements by 2020. BSYA-SeaCube Sustainability AJOC 8x10_r2.indd 1 8/12/22 11:40 AM'