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The Commerce Ministry has held consultations with other ministries including agriculture, finance and industry on the implications of the outcome of the World Trade Organisation’s Nairobi ministerial meet and the way ahead, said Rita Teaotia, Commerce Secretary.
The Agriculture Ministry, which was given a special presentation on how the WTO rules and negotiations affected the farm sector, has asked the Commerce Ministry to go slow on future liberalisation commitments taken in the area.
“We have discussed the Nairobi package with all line ministries in detail, its implications and how we should move ahead from here. It was chaired by the Commerce Minister. We also made a presentation to the Agriculture Ministry,” Teaotia told reporters on the sidelines of an interactive session on the Nairobi Ministerial organised by the CII and the Centre for WTO Studies on Wednesday.
Seeking protectionThe Agriculture Ministry pointed out at the meet that it would want higher degree of protection for agriculture items and it does not want liberalisation too fast.
“We asked the Agriculture Ministry to point out what its red-lines were and the areas where it is not comfortable,” said Arvind Mehta, Additional Secretary, Commerce Ministry.
A number of decisions were taken at the Nairobi Ministerial that have bearing on the agriculture sector.
WTO members decided to phase out all export subsidies, with India agreeing to do away with the flexibilities in transport and marketing subsidies by 2023.
The developed countries agreed to allow developing countries to protect farm items against import surges through a special safeguard mechanism, but the all important issue of the price and quantity triggers that would enable a country to use the mechanism is to be negotiated.
Responding to a question on a recent claim made by the US on a growing consensus at the WTO over negotiating on new issues (issues other than those being negotiation under the current Doha Round), the Secretary said that India was clear on the fact that no new issues can be taken up at the WTO without the nod of all members.
The Secretary said that India would keep pushing for the Doha development agenda (DDA) of the WTO that developed members including the US and the EU are seeking to bury. The DDA, launched in 2001, is important for India and other developing countries as it provides for special and differential treatment that allows them to take on lower liberalisation commitments compared to those taken on by developed members.
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