RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/COMTD/LDC/W/17
25 January 2000
(00-0288)
Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries
MARKET ACCESS FOR LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES WTO MEMBERS
Summary of Information
The tables attached to this note provide summary information, based on the data presented in
the document WT/COMTD/LDC/W/16, on market access conditions as measured by tariff rates
which apply to products of export interest to leas t-developed countries (LDCs).  Information is given
for each LDC on an individual basis, first for the 23 markets as a whole, and is then disaggregated
between developed countries and developing countries/transition economies.  Data is also classified
by sector groupings, as follows:  (i) agriculture; (ii) fisheries; (iii) fuels; minerals; mining andforestry; (iv) manufactures.
Simple average applied tariff rates are presented, excluding and including preferences.
Preferential rates that have been used in the calculation are those extended in the context of schemes
applicable to all LDCs, such as the GSP and GSTP.  Hence, preferential treatment extended underregional or bi-lateral arrangements, including those extended under the Lomé Convention
1, were not
taken into account.  Where several different rates of duty occur at the 6 digit level, a simple average of
these was used in the calculation of the overall average.  The averages have been calculated on the
basis of those products identified and listed  for each LDC in document WT/COMTD/LDC/W/16.
These products accounted for 90 to 95 per cent of the value of total exports from each LDC.
Several broad trends can be discerned from the information provided:(a) Overall applied rates on the current exports of LDCs are higher in developing
countries and transition economies than in developed countries.  This is true in
respect of all four sectors in the study.  The data do not allow one to establish with
clarity whether the difference between developing country rates and developedcountry rates is greater for any one sector rather than another.
(b) In the developed markets, the highest rates of duty on LDC exports apply to exports
of manufactures.  This is explained by the fact that the majority of LDCs in the
sample which export manufactures show a concentration of manufactures exports in
the textiles and clothing sectors.  Countries such as the Democratic Republic ofCongo and Zambia, whose exports of manufactures consist of processed forms of
copper and other inputs into industrial production, rather than textiles and clothing,
face lower tariffs.  The fuels, minerals, mining and forestry sectors record the lowest
rates of duties, with nearly all exports from LDCs to developed markets entering
duty-free or virtually duty-free.
                                                     
1   The European Communities extended preferential treatment equivalent to that applying under the
Lomé Convention to all LDCs in 1999.  However, data used in this exercise are prior to 1999, hence Lomé rates
have been excluded.WT/COMTD/LDC/W/17
Page 2
(c) In developing countries and transition economies, exports of manufactures from
LDCs also face high rates of duty, again owing to the concentration of exports of
manufactures in the clothing and textiles sectors. Duty rates on manufactures are,
however, in many instances closely matched by rates applying to the agriculture and
the fisheries sectors.  Certain cash crops, such as coffee, tea and rice, which enjoyrelatively liberal access to developed markets, are heavily protected in developing
countries and transition economies.  As with developed markets, the fuels, minerals,
mining and forestry sectors record the lowest rates of duties.
(d) The impact of preferential duty rates is more pronounced in developed markets.  For a
number of LDC exports, preferential rates applied by developed countries are  either
considerably lower the actual duty imposed on exports relative to the MFN applied
rate-benchmark, or effectively ensure duty- free treatment.  At the same time, it is
worth noting that zero or near zero duty MFN applied rates account for about 57 per
cent of cases where a particular export sector of a LDC benefits from zero duty
treatment.
The above statements notwithstanding, some caveats need to be made in connection with
inferences drawn from the data.
First, tariffs do not always provide a full indication of market access conditions, particularly
in the case of products which are subject to quantitative restrictions (notably textiles and clothing, and
certain agricultural exports in some markets).
The second relates to the question of "sample selection bias".  The applied tariff data
presented relate to actual exports of LDCs.  It is possible that these countries would have exported
other products to their trading partners if duties in partner countries were lower.  To the extent that
high tariffs restrict trade in these products, these products will not feature in the actual export structure
of the LDC.  As a result, the methodology used above, which has been to calculate average tariff rateson the basis of the actual export structure, is liable to lead to a downward bias in the estimate of
overall conditions of access.  For instance, zero or near-zero duty access in some markets may simply
be a reflection of the fact that a few products benefit from duty-free or near duty-free treatment
through either zero applied rates or duty-free preferential access, while at the same time, higher rates
of duty protect more sensitive products.  Examples include processed forms of certain cash crops
(notably tea, coffee and derivatives of fibres) and processed forms of certain minerals and ores (in
developing country markets).
The degree of tariff escalation varies considerably by product group, and market.  Thus
processed forms of cotton face more restrictive market access conditions in developed markets, owing
to market access barriers in the textiles and clothing sectors, when compared to exports of processed
ores and minerals which are used as industrial inputs.  Ores and minerals face a greater incidence oftariff escalation in developing markets, where they compete with local production, though, as in
developed markets, the degree of escalation is lowe r than is the case with the fibres/textiles and
clothing sector.
The issue of "sample selection bias" implies that a full examination of market access barriers
faced by LDCs requires a discussion of their potential as well as current trade.  This lies outside the
scope of the present exercise.  Any discussion of potential trade requires an identification of products
that could be traded by LDCs, but which at present are not, owing to market access restrictions.  It
will also need to pay close attention to supply-side capacity constraints in LDCs which impede trade,
even in the absence of market access barriers.WT/COMTD/LDC/W/17
Page 3Market Access for Least Developed Countries WTO Members
Summary Table
Country Sector GroupingAll Markets
Simple Average
(excluding
preferences)All Markets
Simple Average
(including
preferences)Developed
Markets
Simple Average
(excluding
preferences)Developed
Markets
Simple Average
(including
preferences)Developing
Markets
Simple Average
(excluding
preferences)Developing
Markets
Simple Average
(including
preferences)
Agriculture 11.5 10.5 0.6 0.0 15.6 13.5
Fisheries 15.8 14.4 2.8 0.7 20.9 20.0
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals andMining4.5 4.0 1.2 0.6 5.7 5.6Angola
Manufactures
Agriculture 20.3 19.8 2.5 1.8 27.2 26.7
Fisheries 15.6 14.2 3.0 2.0 21.2 19.7
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
MiningBangladesh
Manufactures 19.6 11.9 14.0 9.9 23.7 23.7
Agriculture 5.4 5.2 0.0 0.0 8.1 8.0
Fisheries 16.1 15.2 2.5 0.9 22.4 21.8
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining2.8 2.8 0.0 0.0 3.8 3.7Benin
Manufactures 13.0 12.4 9.6 6.1 14.6 14.6
Agriculture 14.3 13.9 1.1 0.5 19.4 19.4
Fisheries 12.7 12.0 3.0 0.9 16.2 16.2
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining4.0 4.0 0.6 0.6 5.3 5.3Burkina Faso
Manufactures
Agriculture 17.6 16.7 0.9 0.6 24.4 22.5
Fisheries
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
MiningBurundi
Manufactures
Agriculture 11.9 6.3 0.3 0.0 9.6 8.5
Fisheries
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining2.9 2.8 0.4 0.2 4.0 4.0Central
AfricanRepublic
Manufactures
Agriculture 5.4 5.1 0.0 0.0 7.6 7.6
Fisheries
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
MiningChad
ManufacturesWT/COMTD/LDC/W/17
Page 4
Country Sector GroupingAll Markets
Simple Average
(excluding
preferences)All Markets
Simple Average
(including
preferences)Developed
Markets
Simple Average
(excluding
preferences)Developed
Markets
Simple Average
(including
preferences)Developing
Markets
Simple Average
(excluding
preferences)Developing
Markets
Simple Average
(including
preferences)
Agriculture 17.9 12.9 13.9 0.0 19.1 17.7
Fisheries
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining2.7 2.6 0.2 0.1 3.7 3.6DRC
Manufactures 3.8 3.8 0.2 0.2 5.3 5.3
Agriculture 5.0 5.0 0.0 0.0 7.4 7.4
Fisheries 14.8 13.1 1.6 1.6 20.1 17.7
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining1.5 1.5 0.0 0.0 2.2 2.2Djibouti
Manufactures
Agriculture 26.7 25.8 26.4 25.6 26.8 25.9
Fisheries 15.5 14.3 2.8 1.1 21.3 20.0
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining2.4 2.4 0.0 0.0 3.2 3.2Gambia
Manufactures
Agriculture 10.3 9.7 0.4 0.0 14.3 13.1
Fisheries 13.9 12.6 2.3 0.5 19.5 18.4
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining2.4 2.4 0.0 0.0 3.4 3.4Guinea
Manufactures - - - - - -
Agriculture - - - - - -
Fisheries 15.0 13.2 2.6 0.6 20.9 18.9
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining13.7 13.0 1.0 0.6 17.6 17.6Guinea
Bissau
Manufactures - - - - - -
Agriculture 8.4 7.0 2.8 0.2 10.8 10.5
Fisheries - - - - - -
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining---- - -Haiti
Manufactures 25.7 21.5 18.1 10.7 28.6 28.6
Agriculture 14.0 13.5 2.6 1.6 18.0 18.0
Fisheries 19.3 16.6 6.5 2.4 24.7 23.6
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining2.5 2.5 0.0 0.0 3.7 3.7Madagascar
Manufactures 24.5 20.4 16.4 11.6 27.5 27.2
Agriculture 19.5 13.9 14.2 2.5 20.2 20.1
Fisheries
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
MiningMalawi
Manufactures 25.7 23.0 17.2 9.7 29.1 29.1WT/COMTD/LDC/W/17
Page 5Country Sector GroupingAll Markets
Simple Average
(excluding
preferences)All Markets
Simple Average
(including
preferences)Developed
Markets
Simple Average
(excluding
preferences)Developed
Markets
Simple Average
(including
preferences)Developing
Markets
Simple Average
(excluding
preferences)Developing
Markets
Simple Average
(including
preferences)
Agriculture
Fisheries 15.3 13.9 4.5 1.6 20.8 20.4
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
MiningMaldives
Manufactures 25.1 22.8 18.1 11.7 28.2 28.2
Agriculture 13.9 13.1 2.1 0.8 17.5 17.5
Fisheries
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining3.1 3.0 0.2 0.2 4.3 4.3Mali
Manufactures 7.2 7.2 1.1 0.9 9.9 9.9
Agriculture
Fisheries 14.8 13.2 2.9 0.9 20.6 19.5
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
MiningMauritania
Manufactures
Agriculture 13.6 11.4 8.1 0.4 15.2 15.2
Fisheries 16.1 14.0 2.5 0.4 19.8 19.2
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining2.5 2.5 0.0 0.0 4.3 4.3Mozambique
Manufactures
Agriculture 12.5 12.5 2.2 2.2 15.8 15.8
Fisheries 16.1 12.6 2.5 0.3 22.4 20.4
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining3.2 3.1 0.6 0.1 4.4 4.4Myanmar
Manufactures 24.5 21.8 16.8 11.0 24.1 24.1
Agriculture 2.7 2.7 0.8 0.8 3.7 3.7
Fisheries 12.7 12.0 3.0 0.9 17.2 17.2
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining6.4 6.4 2.9 0.6 8.0 8.0Niger
Manufactures
Agriculture 13.8 13.0 0.7 0.1 19.5 19.5
Fisheries
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining3.8 3.8 0.4 0.4 5.3 5.3Rwanda
Manufactures
Agriculture 11.5 11.3 0.6 0.0 15.6 14.8
Fisheries 15.2 14.5 2.8 0.7 21.2 21.2
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining2.4 2.3 0.0 0.0 3.3 3.3Sierra Leone
ManufacturesWT/COMTD/LDC/W/17
Page 6
Country Sector GroupingAll Markets
Simple Average
(excluding
preferences)All Markets
Simple Average
(including
preferences)Developed
Markets
Simple Average
(excluding
preferences)Developed
Markets
Simple Average
(including
preferences)Developing
Markets
Simple Average
(excluding
preferences)Developing
Markets
Simple Average
(including
preferences)
Agriculture 7.8 7.0 1.3 1.0 10.9 9.7
Fisheries 12.4 12.4 3.0 3.0 17.1 17.1
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining3.1 2.9 0.5 0.0 4.2 4.2Solomon
Islands
Manufactures
Agriculture 14.0 13.7 7.9 3.8 16.3 16.1
Fisheries 15.7 14.7 2.7 0.6 21.2 20.7
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining2.7 2.5 0.4 0.0 3.6 3.6Tanzania
Manufactures 18.5 16.9 12.0 7.4 21.1 21.1
Agriculture 6.0 5.6 0.2 0.0 8.2 8.2
Fisheries 15.6 13.1 3.2 1.7 20.8 18.7
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining4.4 3.9 1.6 0.3 5.5 5.5Togo
Manufactures
Agriculture 13.7 11.2 8.2 0.2 15.9 15.8
Fisheries 14.9 14.6 3.3 2.2 19.3 19.3
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining3.8 3.8 0.4 0.4 5.3 5.3Uganda
Manufactures
Agriculture 18.0 14.3 11.7 0.3 20.5 20.2
Fisheries
Fuels, Forestry, Minerals and
Mining4.0 3.6 1.0 0.0 5.2 5.1Zambia
Manufactures 6.0 3.9 3.4 1.1 7.4 7.4
All figures in per cent
Blank cells indicate that there were no exports in that particular sector, in the data presented in WT/COMTD/LDC/W/16.
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