December 17, 2015 1:24 PM

printer

India raises concerns over massive subsidization of farm sectors by developed countries at WTO meet

India has raised concerns over massive subsidization of farm sectors by developed countries. Addressing the 10th Ministerial Conference of the WTO in Nairobi, Minister for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman pulled up rich countries for failing to reduce massive agricultural subsidisation. She said it was the clear cut mandate of the Doha Development Agenda ,DDA is now not even a subject matter of discussion in this conference. The Minister said agricultural reforms remain the corner stone of the DDA negotiations and member countries must deliver on all three pillars of the negotiations in a balanced manner. Ms. Sitharaman also pitched for special safeguard mechanism to protect legitimate interests of poor farmers and the food security of hundreds of millions in developing countries. The Minister said member countries cannot continue with the rhetoric of a development agenda without even a reasonable attempt to address issues which are of primary concern to developing economies. Raising concern on the farmers situation in the developing countries, the Minister said, a handful of farm lobbies of some countries have shaped the discourse and determined the destiny of millions of subsistence farmers of the developing countries. Ms Sitharaman expressed fear that the WTO's Doha Development Agenda DDA of 2001 appears to be in jeopardy in Nairobi conference. The history will judge WTO ministers poorly if inequities in global trade are allowed to perpetuate.

Most Read
View All arrow-right

No posts found.