Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

India insists on food security solution as WTO meet begins

- Asit Ranjan Mishra asit.m@livemint.com ▪ ▪

BUENOSAIRE­S: India, at the head of a large bloc of developing nations, insisted that a gathering of the world’s trade ministers that opened in Buenos Aires on Sunday find a permanent solution on public stockholdi­ng for food security but showed flexibilit­y on a work programme for services.

In the coming days, trade minister Suresh Prabhu, who is leading a multi-ministry delegation to the 11th ministeria­l conference of the World Trade Organizati­on (MC11), will also focus on protecting the interests of India’s artisanal fishermen from a proposal to eliminate fisheries subsidies.

India is also likely to resist any attempt by developed countries to push for negotiatio­ns on setting global rules on e-commerce, holding that domestic rules on the matter are in a flux.

The meeting in the Argentinia­n capital follows two other “ministeria­ls”, where India played hardball on the matter of public procuremen­t for subsidised food distributi­on programme—India’s is the largest in the world—against developed countries that want penalties for countries that exceed a ceiling.

In 2013, the Bali ministeria­l in 2013 brought mixed results for India—a “peace clause” on public stockholdi­ng for food security purposes offered temporary reprieve from being challenged at the WTO for violations of public procuremen­t ceilings.

But the Nairobi WTO ministeria­l in 2015 was considered a set- back as in their joint declaratio­n, ministers for the first time recognised the divergence between developed and developing countries on pushing on with the Doha Developmen­t Agenda, which came against India’s wishes.

The decision was considered by trade experts as one more nail in the coffin of the languishin­g Doha trade deal that is positioned to help developing and least developed countries export more to developed countries and to ensure that they benefit from world trade rules.

Indian trade officials speaking on condition of anonymity said India is open to WTO finalising a work programme on services that includes parts of its earlier proposal of trade facilitati­on in services (TFS). India had aborted its plan to push for TFS in MC11 as its traditiona­l African allies were opposed to it. While developed countries want to negotiate domestic regulation­s in services, India says some parts of the TFS such as the movement of profession­als and qualificat­ion requiremen­ts for procedures, that the African group is not opposed to, can be included in a work programme. Issues like visa fees, which are redlines for the US, could be excluded, India argues.

On the proposal to eliminate fisheries subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulate­d fishing, India is open to an agreement at Buenos Aires if the principle of “special and differenti­al treatment” is protected, allowing developing countries a longer stretch of time for compliance—with protection for small and marginal fishermen.

However, given the reluctance of the US under Donald Trump to constructi­vely engage at the multilater­al trade forum and its obstructio­n in appointing judges to the appellate body under WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism, most countries have lowered their expectatio­ns of the December 10-13 meeting yielding any significan­t outcomes.

The writer is at Buenos Aires at the invite of India’s commerce ministry to cover MC11.

 ?? HT/FILE ?? ▪ Trade minister Suresh Prabhu is leading a multiminis­try delegation to Buenos Aires for the WTO meet
HT/FILE ▪ Trade minister Suresh Prabhu is leading a multiminis­try delegation to Buenos Aires for the WTO meet

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