At WTO, India manages to protect interests in food security, fisheries, e-commerce

India has managed to score a diplomatic win at the 11th Ministerial Conference (MC 11) of the World Trade Organisation in Buenos Aires by ensuring there is no dilution in the peace clause extending protection to all minimum support price (MSP) programmes for foodgrains, no commitments to curb fisheries subsidies and no fast-tracking of e-commerce talks.

The MC 11, which concluded on Thursday, has failed to deliver in terms of concrete outcomes, but work programmes spelling out future course of work is likely in a number of areas including fisheries subsidies, e-commerce and services.

“India managed to protect all its interests without being accused of being deal breakers. This is indeed a diplomatic victory,” a government official said.

It is the US which got singled out as a deal breaker for not supporting a permanent solution on food security.

While the US has proved to be a party spoiler for India in its quest for a permanent solution, officials say there is no cause for concern.

“Our food security programmes are protected. Because we have a peace clause which is in perpetuity, it protects all existing programmes,” said JS Deepak, India's Permanent Representative to the WTO.

There were attempts to water down the peace clause by the EU and Brazil which demanded that exports should not be allowed from public stocks, which have been thwarted.

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New Delhi now wants a specific work programme so that delegations continue to engage.

India wanted a permanent solution that would allow it to continue its food procurement programmes without any cap and with less onerous notification and safeguard obligations than in the peace clause.

“Now that the US has blocked a permanent solution, we are examining ways to make changes in the Dispute Settlement Understanding of the WTO so that cases against MSP programmes are rejected,” a government official said.

“In public stockholding, the chair said that there was a clear stalemate and post-Ministerial work needed to begin,” pointed out WTO spokesperson Keith Rockwell.

In the area of fisheries subsidies, there could not be an agreement on interim solution for banning illegal, unregulated, unreported (IUU) fishing. The proposal that members will try and reach an agreement by MC 12 (in 2018) was something members could endorse, Rockwell said.

“We are happy that our demand that there be no immediate commitment to curb fisheries subsidies has been met. Now we have more time to safeguard interests of our artisans fishers,” the Indian official said.

In the area of e-commerce, too, New Delhi managed to check attempts by members such as Switzerland, the EU, Japan and Australia to switch over to a new work programme under the General Council of the WTO to accelerate pace of talks. The existing work programme of continuation of discussions under the existing structure of four working group is set to continue.

“This was important to ensure that the ground for starting negotiations on e-commerce does not get laid,” the official said.

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