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India highlights agri domestic support at WTO’s Ministerial Conference
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Thursday, 14 December, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Buenos Aires
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India, a participant in the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC) 11 in Buenos Aires, has been a proponent in several areas of work in WTO, including public stockholding for food security purposes, the agricultural special safeguard mechanism, agricultural domestic support and e-commerce.
It has been participating in the conference in good faith and in a spirit of constructive engagement, and has tried its best to engage with members in all formats. It is committed to preserving and promoting WTO and the multilateral trading system with a view to take the agreed agenda of WTO forward.
Leading up to the MC and at the MC itself, India’s coalition partners have remained steadfast in their support, not only for a permanent solution on public stockholding, but also on other issues of interest to developing countries.
India was supported by over 100 WTO member countries on all agriculture issues, including its proposal to set the direction of agriculture reforms by first eliminating the most trade-distorting form of subsidies used mainly by the rich developed countries.
The 53-member African Group, as well as a large number of developing countries, have rallied around and firmly supported India in opposing rules on e-commerce and bringing in new issues such as investment facilitation and micro-, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) into the WTO’s agenda.
During the agriculture negotiations in Buenos Aires, a major country stated categorically that they could not agree to any permanent solution on the public stockholding issue at MC11.
This posed a severe threat to a successful conclusion of the conference, as there was a ministerial mandate for a permanent solution by MC11.
India was surprised and deeply disappointed that despite an overwhelming majority of Members reiterating it, a major member country reneged on a commitment made two years ago to deliver a solution of critical importance for addressing hunger in some of the poorest countries of the world.
This has the potential to irreversibly damage the credibility of the WTO, as a ministerial decision of all countries present in Nairobi was not honoured.
India continues to participate in the efforts to draft a credible ministerial declaration. It is firm that any ministerial declaration must reaffirm the principles of the multi-lateral trading system, the completion of the Doha Development Agenda, the centrality of development and the availability of special and differential treatment and other concerns of developing countries.
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