ITC publications bring the business voice to sustainable trade, with a focus on developing countries. We offer guidance for trade policymakers, business support organizations and small firms. Our reports offer insights to make trade more inclusive, green, digital and competitive.
The global pandemic has hit small farmers with disruptions in health, food security, transport, finance and demand. It has also increased the cost of doing business. Smallholder farmers, already dealing with the effects of a climate and price crisis, are taking emergency measures for resilience. At...
Climate change creates risks for agrifood exporters as extreme weather events and rising temperatures disrupt supply chains and reduce productivity. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises also face risks from new policies, regulations and technologies designed to address climate change. Some...
Climate change is reducing the competitiveness of agricultural exports from developing countries as far apart as Peru and Uganda, according to an ITC survey of agri-food exporters in these countries. The exporters call on their governments to integrate climate change into long-term,...
A comprehensive guide to the fast-growing field of Islamic banking, this publication describes Islamic financial instruments and provides practical examples of how to use them. It focuses on the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in the area of export finance.
This guide helps small exporters understand how to obtain finance, outlining the credit process of financial institutions, pre-application preparation, finding appropriate lenders and loan repayment. Models for business plans and loan requests are included. The guide also examines barriers to...
This study invites national legislators as well as all those involved in enhancing the national business environment to consider secured financing schemes that will allow an increase in the amount of credit offered to SMEs. The reasoning is simple: allow as collateral property that SMEs usually...
The coffee sector has a huge potential to contribute to poverty alleviation in East Africa, but the sector’s development is hampered by a lack of savings and credit facilities. Moreover, women’s access to financial services is even more restricted than that of men, and most women in rural areas...
The goal of Uganda’s Value Chain Roadmap for Sunflowers The goal of Uganda’s Value Chain Roadmap for Sunflowers is to set the sector on the course of strategic development by addressing constraints in a comprehensive manner and defining concrete opportunities that can be realized through the...
Chinese imports of organic foods were about US$ 20 million in 2009, a limited amount compared with the size of the population, but the market has been growing rapidly and may become promising for least developed country exporters. This publication has been prepared to provide guidance to exporters...
Global markets for sunflower products The sunflower value chain encompasses sunflower seeds, oil and cake. The global production of sunflower seed has doubled in the past 20 years, driven by improved yields and expanded acreage. The bulk of sunflower seed produced is used to make sunflower oil,...
South Africa: A Potential Market for Agri-food Products from Africa aims to guide exporters in developing countries—mainly in Africa—on how to access the newly emerging agri-food market in South Africa. South Africa imported US$ 325 million worth of fruits, vegetables and spices in 2009. The...
