The move is aimed at strongly presenting the views of developing countries at the forthcoming ministerial meeting in Nairobi, scheduled in December. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China in May, the two countries had decided to have a special mechanism to discuss issues at the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks as they have similar views on many issues. “India and China are jointly coordinating on WTO issues. It will help in putting forward the views of developing countries in the Nairobi meeting,” the official said, adding the group would meet shortly to discuss all the issues which are of interest to developing countries.
“India and China will submit a joint paper in the WTO on issues of interest to developing countries,” the official added. Besides food security, the other issues of common interest to India and China include a cut in <g data-gr-id="32">agri</g>-subsidies by the developed nations. The next Ministerial Conference, which is the highest <g data-gr-id="34">decision making</g> body of the WTO, is slated to be held from December 15-18 in Nairobi, Kenya. Both the countries are pitching for a permanent solution on the issue of public stockholding for food security purposes.
Ending months-long deadlock, the WTO in November last year acceded to India’s demand to remove constraints on the food stockpiling issue. The WTO’s General Council, the highest <g data-gr-id="30">decision making</g> body of the organisation, accepted India’s demand for extending the peace clause till a permanent solution is found on the food stockpiling issue.
This has enabled India to continue procurement and stocking of foodgrain for distribution to poor under its food security programme without attracting any kind of action from WTO members even if it breaches the 10 per cent subsidy cap as prescribed by the multilateral trade body.
India, the official said, wants that all issues including Doha Round <g data-gr-id="31">matters,</g> should be taken up in the Nairobi meeting as “cherry picking of issues” would not help the multi-lateral body. The Doha Round of negotiations launched in 2001 have remained stalled since July 2008 due to differences between the rich and the developing nations mainly over the subsidies given to farmers.
Don’t dub support to farmers as subsidy: M S Swaminathan to WTO
It is wrong to label support given to farmers in emerging economies like India as subsidy and World Trade <g data-gr-id="59">Organsiation</g> should come up with measures in aid of ending hunger and malnutrition, renowned agricultural scientist Prof M S Swaminathan said on Wednesday. Developed countries had already safeguarded extensive financial support to their farmers through the green box provision of the WTO, he said here in a statement ahead of the 10th Ministerial Meeting of the UN body to be held in Nairobi this December. “It is wrong to designate the limited support given to farmers (in nations like India) as <g data-gr-id="65">subsidy</g>... It will be more appropriate to refer to the assistance as support to sustainable farming,” he said. Agriculture was essentially a commercial occupation in developed countries where hardly five per cent of the population depend on it for livelihood, he pointed out.
However, in emerging economies like India farming was the main occupation of a majority of rural families which depend on crop, animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry and agro-processing to eke out a livelihood and for their household food security. “Also, the farm size is small and the marketable surplus is low. As a result, farm families require social protection, and hence, it is wrong to call support as <g data-gr-id="62">subsidy</g>,” he argued. “The difference between agriculture as a commercial occupation and agriculture as a means of abolishing hunger and malnutrition will have to be clearly understood at the upcoming WTO meet in December,” he said. “It is high time that there is also a Food Security Box by the WTO which can help countries like India to adopt farm support policies which can help them achieve zero hunger challenge,” he urged.