Adjustment directions of the support and protection policies in those main agricultural exporting countries and the implications: Comparison among the United States, Brazil, Canada and Australia

Transition from distorted intervention policies to market-oriented support measures is the mainstream trend of agricultural support policy reform. From the perspectives of agricultural support intensity and structure and applying the method of producer support estimation, this paper compares the policy reform trends of four selected major agricultural exporting countries, including the United States, Brazil, Canada and Australia. Results show that the four countries gradually reduced market price support policies, and adopted direct payment policies, especial those coupled direct payments, with increasing agricultural exports. Polices of agricultural knowledge and innovation played an important role in those general service support measures, as well as polices of infrastructure construction and maintenance, marketing and promotion, which could improve agriculture competitiveness effectively. Results of the above analysis provides some implications for China’s agricultural policy reform, including: accelerating the transition from price support measures to direct payments and coupled direct payments, strengthening the support for agricultural knowledge and innovation, marketing and promotion for improving the quality and the competitiveness of agricultural development, and improving the pertinence and effectiveness of agriculture policies.