Optimization and Benefit Analysis of Grain Trade in Belt and Road Countries

Abstract

Grain trade in Belt and Road (B&R) countries shows a mismatch between the volume and direction of grain flows and actual demand. With economic and industrial development, the water crisis has intensified, which poses a great challenge to the security of world grain supply and demand. There are few studies on the reconstruction of grain trade relations from the perspective of grain economic value. In this paper, a linear optimization model considering opportunity cost is proposed to fill the gap, and it is compared and analyzed with the optimization model considering only transportation cost. The grain supply and demand structures in both optimization results show characteristics of geographical proximity and long-tail distribution. Furthermore, the economic and water resource benefits resulting from the two optimal configurations are compared and analyzed. It is found that the economic benefits generated by grain trade in B&R countries with the consideration of opportunity cost not only cover transportation costs but also generate an economic value of about 130 trillion US dollars. Therefore, considering opportunity cost in grain trade is of great significance for strengthening cooperation and promoting the economic development of countries under the B&R framework. In terms of resource benefits, the grain trade with consideration of opportunity cost saves nearly 28 billion cubic meters of water, or about 5% of the total virtual water flow. However, about 72 billion cubic meters of water is lost for the grain trade with consideration of transportation cost. This study will help to formulate and adjust policies related to the “Belt and Road Initiative” (B&R Initiative), so as to maximize the economic benefits while optimizing the structure of grain trade and alleviating water scarcity pressures.

The State of Grain Trade between China and Russia: Analysis of Growth Effect and Its Influencing Factors

“…Regarding China's grain trade, China's food security issue has always been a focus of studies, with its food consumption and imports ranking among the highest levels globally, making it the largest food consumer country in the world. Du (2022) [16] found that grain trade in the Belt and Road region shows a mismatch between the direction of grain trade flows and actual demand. Ukraine and Russia are the largest grain exporters in the Belt and Road region, and China should seize the opportunity to strengthen cooperation.…”

Spatiotemporal Variation and Influencing Factors of Grain Yield in Major Grain-Producing Counties: A Comparative Study of Two Provinces from China

“…In the face of issues such as imbalanced grain supply and demand with the restricted trade and transportation, China's government has ensured national food security by increasing grain yields [14][15][16], safeguarding food consumption [17], expanding grain storage [18][19][20], and enhancing grain trade [21,22]. As a basis for national stability [23,24], this yield is positively influenced by various underlying driving factors, such as farmland quality [25,26], agricultural mechanization input [27,28], fertilizer and pesticide use [29,30], agricultural subsidies [31,32], and urbanization [33,34].…”