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Protecting poor farmers in developing countries against cheap farm imports in the ongoing Doha Round of the WTO is proving to be a bone of contention between developed and developing countries.
The Committee of Agriculture chairman Crawford Falconer has been forced to postpone the next meeting of the agriculture negotiations scheduled later this week as a common ground on the issue, and others including tropical products, remains elusive. He hopes to hold the meeting in the middle of next week. Falconer said his consultations with individual delegations or small groups are continuing constructively and “there is good reason to believe that they will continue at least into the first half of next week”, sources informed. The chairman wants more time to reach a stage in his discussions that could give him reason to move to the next level, an official source said.
India has objected to the provisions of special safeguard measures (SSM) in the latest draft circulated by the chair. SSMs give developing countries the authority to increase import duties on specific farm products beyond the levels at which they have been bound at WTO if there is a sudden increase in volume of imports or a fall in domestic prices. These are known as triggers. India’s contention is the triggers listed in the draft are set at such high levels that they would be ineffective in preventing a surge in exports when the need arises, and could result in losses.
Developed countries, including the US and Australia, do not want SSMs to be too stringent as they argue it would prove to be a barrier for exports. (Source: The Economic Times)
June 13, 2008
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