Locally Produced Goods Versus Imported Goods - Essay Example

Locally Produced Goods Vs Imported Goods Table of content Executive summary Introduction The economic side The social side The geographic side Cultural side Environmental side Health side Conclusion References Executive summary Modern days have seen the transportation and use of goods irrespective of their geographical locations. This trend is most of the time attributed to the freedom of mobility as a result of globalization and technological advancements. Thus, sometimes, goods which are imported become cheaper and of better quality than the locally produced ones. Along with this trend, there arises the controversy whether it is right to give priority to imported goods over the locally produced ones on the basis of price and quality. Though the trend seems harmless at the first sight, history proves that this practice will have a number of negative effects. Studies show that locally produced goods are better than imported goods due to many reasons. Firstly, the imported goods do not offer cheap rates over long time. So, if there is more reliance on imported products, the local production will disappear. This will allow foreign companies and nations to have total monopoly over the product. They may utilize this situation to exploit the consumers through increased price or reduced quality. This will have a serious impact on the security of any nation. Secondly, when there is higher reliance on imported goods, the local producers will have to stop production. This will affect the local economy at both macro and micro level. Thus, profit on one side is loss on the other. Also, it becomes evident that the plants and animals of a particular place are best suited to the local environment. So, for the inhabitants of that place, consuming the locally available things is the best way for survival in that area. Moreover, it becomes evident that this practice has a devastating effect on culture. A culture is called a culture for various reasons ranging from food habits, specific rites and ritual, a specific dress code, art, and language. So, deviating from any of these for financial gains will lead to a dilution in the culture as has seen around the world. In addition, there are humanitarian issues too. As noticed, most of the mass produced cheap products are the result of considerable levels of exploitation. In nations like China, which are known for cheap production, workers are deprived of even basic salaries and proper sleep. Furthermore, there are both health issues and environmental issues to be explored. Mass production like industrial farming requires heavy use of pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers. In addition, the mass produced products require preservation and transportation. The workers who work in such farms will have to face serious health problems. Also, preservation and transportation involve use of preservatives, and waste of energy. Also, when there is mass production, there is large scale pollution, exploitation of natural resources, and contaminate of natural resources. When this happens, many locally available varieties are ignored. Thus, over time, there will be the loss of many important varieties due to this craze for profit. This will, in turn affect the ecology as a whole. Introduction Modern days have seen an increasing exchange of goods irrespective of geographic proximity as a result of improvements in communication and transportation. Thus, people use local and import products in their everyday lives even without being aware about the same. This change came along with a controversy regarding the effects of this change. As multinational retailer giants launched their units in countries like China, people witnessed a rising conflict between regional sentiments and globalization. Thus, presently, there is the question whether one should go for locally produced goods or imported goods. An impartial assessment of the situation makes me feel that one should rather use local products. In fact, there are economic, cultural, geographic, and environmental factors to support this claim. The Economic Side Admittedly, one will be lured to start using imported goods if it is found that they are cheaper and better. However, this will have a number of negative consequences in both short and long term. The first consequence is that this will lead to the disappearance of the local farms and farmland leading to troubles in local economies. This is so because the local farmers’ markets are directly linked to the businesses around them and the profit from the same directly goes to the local farmers. When the food production is taken away from the local farms by importing goods, the farms and the farmers’ markets will cease to exist. For example, according to statistics (as cited in “Local and regional food systems”), there were 4,105,000 farms in United States; however, by the year 2011, the number came down to 2,200,000 farms. Though this decline is attributed to the industrialization of agriculture, importing products will have the same effect on farming in all probability. Another more sinister example is the growth of coco-cola and pepsi in the Indian subcontinent. Before their coming, the nation had a number of local soft drink brands. However, as the companies reached the market, the local companies had neither money power nor infrastructure to fight and soon, some were taken over by the giants and the rest are in oblivion. Evidently, they could not withstand the price, distribution, and advertising wars unleashed by the giants. Presently, the Indian soft drink market is facing the monopoly of the giants and now, if these companies raise the prices, the consumers will be left with no option other than paying the high prices because there are no companies to compete (Coco-Cola, PepsiCo and the Indian Soft Drink beverage Market). In fact, the same goes true about all products. Once people start using imported products, the local producers will be forced to close their business down. This will have a serious impact on the security of nation. This is all the more true in food security. Once a nation start using imported products, its domestic producers will be forced to stop production. However, the imported products can go dearer at any time or may lose the initial quality. If the domestic producers no more exist, the nation will have to live totally on the mercy of other nations or companies. So, the cheaper and better imported products are short-lived profits. Thus, the first few effects are the possibility of uncontrollably high prices in future coupled with non-availability and reduced quality. Yet another point is the effect on the economic situation of the local producers. Evidently the local production, for example food production, is dependent on a network of various people with family farms as the source. So, abandoning domestic products will have an adverse impact on the socioeconomic fabric of local communities. Thus, when there is gain on one side, there is severe loss on the other side. Thus, the conclusion is a loss to the entire nation. The Social Side Another serious issue is the way the products are made cheaper. It is a well-known fact that in agriculture, products are cheaper when there is industrial mass production. This practice involves unscrupulous use of pesticides, fertilizers and irrevocable destruction of nature. Purchasing such products is no less serious an offence than engaging in such malpractices. Another serious issue is the possibility of exploitation of people in order to produce cheap products. As Cooper (2013) reports, the frightening fact that Apple’s production factory in China offers a meager salary of just 1.12 pounds per hour to its workers. As a result, there are so many suicides at the facility and in order to stop further deaths; the company has installed safety nets around the buildings. Evidently, Apple is a company which charges its customers well for the products. If this is the fate of the workers who produce a product that is not so cheap, even worse will be the fate of those who produce cheap things with better quality. Purchasing such things will only encourage the companies to continue with the exploitation they practice. Also, from the humanitarian point of view, knowingly purchasing such a product amounts of exploitation. In other words, one who enjoys the fruits of the sin committed by another person is no less a sinner (Cooper, 2013 Jan 25). Admittedly, China is well-known for cheap products, and the best example of this Chinese efficiency is the Chinese toy market. In fact, this market is responsible for the production of 75% of the world’s toys. However, Catholic Online dated 12 October 2012 reveals the grim picture behind this reduced price. It is reported that these workers are made to sleep on the factory floor after long hours of work. These workers often put in an additional 36 hours of work in a week, and earn 50% less wages than others do. The production units offer 15 hour shifts, and that too, in 86 degree heat (Catholic Online, 2012, Oct 12). Now, it has become more than evident that the reduced prices are often the result of considerable degree of exploitation of people. So, it becomes evident that going after such fads will not offer any long term advantage. The Geographic Side Another important aspect of the issue is connected with geography. It is an accepted fact that the flora and fauna of a particular place are dependent on each other, or, in other words, complimentary to each other. So, most of the time, the products from that place will be more suitable for the local populace than the imported goods. To further illustrate, the food habits and the dress habits of a place are closely linked to the geography and climate of that place. So, changing the same is likely to have a negative impact on the health of people. As a simple example, the scarcity of fuel available for fires has an impact on the Chinese cooking. For example, the Chinese way of stir frying involves quick cooking with little fuel. This saves the fuel and preserves the flavor of the food. In addition, very little oil is added as compared to western ways of cooking. In another example, the Chinese face a lack of pasture land for grazing. As a result, there is less availability of milk and other dairy products. However, this deficiency is compensated through the use of soy bean which provides protein and calcium. In such a case, replacing the locally available things with imported ones for the sake of money will have a very serious impact. In fact, the biosphere of a place is designed by nature according to the demands of and challenges of living in that place. So, the food available locally will be the best option for the people. Ignoring the locally available things will thus affect the capability for survival. Cultural Side In simple words, adopting foreign products is against aesthetics. In fact, a cultural is called a culture for its use of various artifacts and things along with various rites and rituals. One can identify a culture from its way of life. Historically, civilizations and cultures tended to use the locally available sources for survival and hence, use of those things too has become a part of those cultures. So, deviating those things will result in dilution of those cultures. This will result in erosion of those cultures and once this happens, there is no way to protect that culture from withering away. The intelligentsia today is highly aware about the way cultural globalization takes place despite he best efforts from the part of certain cultures to retain their own identity. Through media, through new products in the market and through propaganda, these cultures are getting threatened. Presently, there is a world youth culture which is the most evident result of cultural globalization. Thus, those who want to preserve cultures will agree to the fact that adopting foreign products for any reason will only have a negative effect on cultures. The Environmental Side In fact, it is highly necessary to think about the environmental impact of any product before using it. As already seen, providing agricultural products at lower rates involves mass production and industrial farming. When there is industrial farming, a lot of pesticides and insecticides are used. Moreover, there is intensive use of fertilizers followed by no fallow period. In addition, for better profit, companies encourage monoculture. Evidently, these all practices have a huge impact on the environment. First of all, monoculture will again lead to the disappearance of various other varieties. Secondly, mass production requires preservation and transportation. In the case of agricultural products, a large number of farm workers are made to work in unhealthy situations where a lot of pesticides and insecticides are used. Thereafter, these product are frozen and preserved. Furthermore, when imported, these things need to be transported to a long distance to sell. This preservation and transportation requires a lot of energy and both have negative consequences on nature. The Health Side In fact, the most important factor is yet to be assessed. As already seen, the most important fact is that when things are produced at a low rates as in industrial agriculture the workers are the ones who face difficulty in the form of increased health problems. Similarly, when such products are transported over long distances, there is more pollution and energy consumption. Conclusion In total, it becomes evident that while purchasing goods, one should be mindful of the fact that locally produced goods are better than imported goods due to reasons which are plenty. Firstly, the imported goods do not offer cheap rates over long time. So, if there is more reliance on imported products, the local production will disappear. This will allow foreign companies and nations to have total monopoly over the product. They may utilize this situation to exploit the consumers through increased price or reduced quality. This will have a serious impact on the security of any nation. Similarly, when there is higher reliance on imported goods, the local producers will have to stop production. This will affect the local economy at both macro and micro level. So, when it seems that there is profit in purchasing imported goods at lower prices, on the other side, there is an equal loss in the area of production. Thirdly, there are reasons to believe that the plants and animals of a particular place are best suited to the local environment. So, for the inhabitants of that place, consuming the locally available things is the best way for survival in that area. As has seen, even the cooking habits in a particular place are shaped by the availability of resources in that area. Moreover, one can say that a culture is called a culture for various reasons ranging from food habits, specific rites and ritual, a specific dress code, art, and language. So, deviating from any of these for financial gains will lead to a dilution in the culture as has seen around the world. In addition, there are humanitarian issues too. As noticed, most of the mass produced cheap products are the result of considerable levels of exploitation. In nations like China which are known for cheap production, workers are deprived of even basic salaries and proper sleep. So, using such products will encourage the exploiters to continue with increased might. Furthermore, there are health issues to be concerned about. Mass production like industrial farming requires heavy use of pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers. In addition, the mass produced products require preservation and transportation. The workers who work in such farms will have to face serious health problems. Also, preservation and transportation involve use of preservatives, and waste of energy. Lastly, environment too requires some attention. When there is mass production, there is large scale pollution, exploitation of natural resources, and contaminate of natural resources. For example, when there is intensive farming, the soil loses its fertility irrevocably because of the use of chemical fertilizers. In addition, such mass productions encourage practices like monoculture. When this happens, many locally available varieties are ignored. Thus, over time, there will be the loss of many important varieties due to this craze for profit. This will, in turn affect the ecology as a whole. In total, locally produced goods should be given priority over imported goods irrespective of their price and quality. References Coco-Cola, PepsiCo and the Indian Soft Drink beverage Market. Retrieved from http://www.icmrindia.org/Short%20Case%20Studies/Marketing%20Management/CLMM044.htm Cooper, R. (2013). Inside Apple’s Chinese sweatshop factory where workers are paid just $1.12 per hour to produce iPhones and iPads for the West. MailOnline, Jan 25. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2103798/Revealed-Inside-Apples-Chinese-sweatshop-factory-workers-paid-just-1-12-hour.html Catholic Online. (2012). Elves in Chinese sweat shops live in very grim fairy tale. Retrieved from http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=48861 Local and regional food systems. Grace. Retrieved from http://www.gracelinks.org/254/local-regional-food-systems Read More