Rich nations pitch climate, sustainable agri in WTO talks; skip food security

With the ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to begin Sunday, developed countries including the US, the EU, New Zealand, Canada and Singapore have proposed outcomes on new issues such as sustainable agriculture and food systems. However, developing countries claim this would divert the attention from important pending issues like finding a permanent solution to ensure food security for poor nations.

Besides introducing sustainable agriculture, food systems, climate change and environment in agriculture negotiations, the developed countries have ignored the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) that ensures flexibility and policy space to developing and poor countries.

"The developed countries are working on an ambitious mandate for agriculture including a work programme for domestic support. They are diverting the attention from the important pending issues of permanent solution and instead talking about sustainable agriculture and food distribution," said an official.

The rich nations have proposed to undertake work to achieve a permanent solution on public stocking for food security purposes (PSH) by the next ministerial. The upcoming 12th ministerial conference (MC12) of the WTO will take place from June 12-15 in Geneva.

Public stockholding is a policy tool used by the governments to purchase, stockpile and distribute food when needed. While stocking and distributing food is permitted under WTO rules, governments purchasing food at prices higher than market prices are considered to be subsidizing their farmers.

Sources said these recent proposals seek to limit the input subsidies that India gives for fertilisers and irrigation and also lower the subsidy ceilings called de minimis in trade parlance. The de minimis level for India and developing countries is 10% of value of food production.