ADVANCED ECONOMIES SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED
TO UNDERMINE LIVELIHOOD SECURITY OF FARMERS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES,
SAYS RAJNATH SINGH
India
has called upon the international community not to allow advanced
economies to undermine the livelihood security of farmers in the
developing countries under the guise of self-serving trade reforms.
Addressing a round table meeting on WTO-related agricultural issues
in Rome yesterday evening, the Agriculture Minister, Shri Rajnath
Singh said that the livelihood security of the large agriculture-dependent
population is an issue of paramount importance in waging a war
against hunger in the developing countries. Expressing concern
over bulging subsidies and unjustified protection to agriculture
in the developed countries, the Minister said that these have
rendered the developing countries highly vulnerable in the agricultural
trade regime. Deprivations caused to farmers by distorted trade
are evident across much of the developing world.
Shri Rajnath Singh
argued that the provisions contained in the Agreement on Agriculture
left a yawning gap between expectations and achievements. The
imbalances in the Agreement could be removed only by striking
a balance among the three pillars of market access, domestic support
and export competition. But the developed countries were seeking
tariff reduction in the developing countries without demonstrating
sincerity to usher in meaningful reforms in the two pillars of
domestic support and export subsidies. This amounted to paying
mere lip service to the reform process.
Shri Rajnath Singh
stressed the need to give a special and differential treatment
to the developing countries for addressing their legitimate development
needs including food and livelihood security and rural development.
Regretting that the Cancun Draft of 13th September
2003 was not in consonance with the Doha mandate on agricultural
trade reforms he said that the initiative to put the negotiation
process back on the rails should come from the developed countries.
The negotiations need to recognize the fact that a level playing
field cannot be created without meaningfully addressing the concerns
of the developing countries and giving them much more flexibility
and leverage. The Minister expressed the hope that the spirit
of development enshrined in the Doha Declaration would be given
due regard when the negotiation process resumes.
Representatives from
over 60 countries took part in the round table meeting organized
by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
Shri Rajnath Singh
also held discussions with the Agriculture Ministers of New Zealand,
Sweden, Finland and Japan and with the Agriculture Commissioner
of the European Union.
