Virtual Water: The Exploitation of The Elixir of Life thru The Invisible Treasure Trade

Abstract

Virtual water is the volume of water that is used in the production process of a commodity (Allan, 2003). Agricultural trade is by far the largest vehicle to move water virtually around the world. The effects of water scarcity in many countries and regions can be reduced through open farm trade and specialization. Many world countries are now suffering water shortages and expect worsening conditions in the future due to climate change, economic development and food demand increases. Therefore, this paper analyses about the most exporting water-intensive agricultural product and its virtual water content in the same using secondary data from various government data sources not only to find the virtual water content and also for the inhibition of the elixir of life. Hargreaves- Samani Method has been used for calculating the value of evapotranspiration and Allan, Hoekstra formula for finding virtual water value.