THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE OF LONG-TERM CROPS IN LESOTHO

This study is one of several investigations undertaken over the years to determine the Comparative Economic Advantage of agricultural production in selected Southern African countries. The specific purpose of the Lesotho study was to generate information required to guide decision-makers in agriculture towards productive allocation of resources and identify feasible infrastructure investment options to take advantage of available trade opportunities within and beyond the region. It was also required to analyse the factors involved in the structure and development of interand intra-industrial trade (Gini and IIT) for the SACU region of which Lesotho is a part. The inter-industry analysis shows that there is concentration in the market of apples, asparagus, cherries and peaches. On the other hand, the intra-industry analysis with respect to apples, asparagus, cherries and peaches suggests that the SACU countries exported more than they imported during the period 1994-1998. The study also evaluated the comparative economic advantage of irrigated longterm crops in the four agro-ecological zones of Lesotho based on analyses of profitability coefficients and domestic resource costs. For these, the analysis was