Low tariff rates were set for primary commodities, raw materials, well-established export industries, and products that did not have much hope of gaining international competitiveness. On the other hand, high tariffs were imposed on the products of newly established industries that were striving to gain international competitiveness. It is important to note that trade protection was provided only temporarily; by 1974, the ratio dropped to 2 per cent, indicating that major trade barriers had been removed, particularly for manufactured goods