The Hindu Business Line : G-20 seeks meaningful results in farm talks

DEVELOPING countries with a stakeholder interest in agriculture have said that meaningful results are essential to lead the Doha Development Round to a successful end by 2006.

Meeting ahead of the mini-Ministerial scheduled to take place later in the day, G-20 Ministers present in Dalian, China, in a statement said that the G-20 is prepared to work towards assuring positive results in July.

But it expects responses to its proposals by the major players, who are yet to show their political will to implement commitments in line what is set out in the Doha mandate, according to an official release.

The G-20, an alliance of countries with strong agricultural interests formed in the run-up to the Cancun Ministerial in 2003, said that it had presented concrete proposals recently on the three pillars of the agricultural negotiations in the WTO - domestic support, export subsidy, and market access.

Following the Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr Kamal Nath's intervention on the need to address non-tariff barriers (NTBs) facing exports from developing countries, the issue of NTBs has been included in the G-20 agenda.

On NTBs, the G-20 said that if a meaningful market access is to be gained by developing countries into the developed country markets, the issue of NTBs must effectively be addressed.

Developed countries would have to do something concrete to show that they are willing to dismantle the NTBs they have erected.

The G-20 is resolved to make operational the provisions in the framework on special and differential (S&D) treatment for developing countries so as to safeguard food security and address the rural development and livelihood concerns of millions of people.

The statement says: "G-20 reaffirms its commitment to progress in agricultural negotiations in order to levelling the playing field by eliminating subsidies and opening up markets in developed countries. These measures would help developing countries combat poverty and inequality and increase their integration into the international economy."

Earlier, meeting his Chinese counterpart, Mr Bo Xilai, Mr Kamal Nath said that India and China would work together in the current Doha Round of world trade talks based on shared interests and concerns in many areas of the ongoing negotiations in the WTO, including agriculture, non-agricultural market access and in rules.

Both sides expressed their resolve to resist what the Chinese Minister called attempts at "sub-classification of developing countries" by the developed countries into advanced developing countries, developing countries, and least developed counties.

The Ministers also discussed the need to eliminate export subsidies of farm products by 2010, bring down domestic support in agriculture and ask for creation of a level playing field for developing countries before they are asked to open their markets.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
1 million t wheat import likely: USDA

SABMiller to identify potential areas for barley cultivation

Flora Expo at Delhi in Sept next year

Marginal fall in spot rubber prices

Tea exports dip in May; output up 8.6 m kg

Over 18 lakh kg tea on offer this week at Coonoor sale

World soya output seen steady

G-20 seeks meaningful results in farm talks