The Hindu Business Line : WTO impasse

This is with reference to "Get WTO back on talking terms" (Business Line, March 17). There can be no disagreement with the author that today it appears the WTO has come to a standstill since nothing has progressed after the Cancun Ministerial.

It appears the chief exponent of WTO system, the US — due to the Presidential elections there later this year — has political considerations to take into consideration, resulting in the impasse.

Unfortunately, issues, such as agriculture subsidies to the farm sector in the developed countries, are holding back further progress.

The Agreement of agriculture requires de novo thinking so that the farming community in the underdeveloped and developing countries is not put to a disadvantage.

It cannot be denied that for a country such as India which has nearly 65 per cent of the population directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture, the system has to provide simple and understandable rules that can be followed by the farmers.

Kewal Khanna

Jaipur

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