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Counting costs

  • 14/09/2001

Organic agriculture costs. So does conventional agriculture. The difference lies in the former internalising its costs and the latter externalising it.

Conventional agricultural products do not always carry their full costs and hence appear more cost-effective. The hidden subsidies and the impact on the environment is borne by the consumers and the environment. Part of the production costs are absorbed by governments and passed on to taxpayers. Hidden subsidies include the storage and disposal of surpluses and pollution

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