The November edition of Poultry International has a strong focus on markets. We look at two countries whose share of world trade is expected to keep on growing over the decades ahead and whose living standards will continue rising.
While the Brazilian, Russian, Indian and Chinese economies are often talked about, there are a number of other developing economies whose positions on the world stage will continue to grow both economically and politically. In the East, Malaysia has an enviable record of continued high growth rates over the years, while in the West, Argentina may be slowly moving back towards the economic position that it enjoyed at the start of the twentieth century.
Onwards and upwards
Our focus on poultry production in Argentina and the egg industry in Malaysia shows that with careful planning and an eye on the future, great things can be achieved. We also look at a more developed European country where, despite investment and a long-established tradition of strong home consumption and overseas sales, the poultry industry is feeling the pressures of the interlinked, increasingly competitive modern world.
Free markets rarely result in an easy ride. Specialization may be the key, and with lower costs, developing countries may be best placed to take care of certain sectors of the market while more developed, high-cost regions can take care of others. There can be a place for everyone – if that place is properly considered and earned!
Forward and back
Of course this is not easy, and with another downturn expected to be just around the corner, knowing what to produce and whom to sell it to becomes all the more difficult.
Asia may have recovered from the first round of the recession quicker than the rest of the world, but there is no guarantee that it will fare as well the second time around. Today, what happens in one country or region affects us all. There is certainly a lot of nervousness about. Nevertheless, history has shown that those who are prepared to take risks and invest come out on top. While not every venture is a success, there is the old adage of nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Those enjoying the benefits that greater market access brings have clearly had their eyes focused straight ahead on the future and the rewards that lie there, while those suffering the chill winds of competition certainly need to keep one eye over their shoulders, but they need to be looking to the future to see the place that they could occupy in a changing world. Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions, may have had the right idea, with one face looking East and the other West.
