LEVELS OF AMBITION IN AGRICULTURAL MARKET ACCESS NEGOTIATIONS
MUST BE TEMPERED WITH REALISM
JAITLEY
HIGHLIGHTS FARMERS’ CONCERNS AT WTO MINI MINISTERIAL
Shri Arun Jaitley,
Minister of Commerce and Industry, has highlighted the concerns
and interests of the Indian farmers and said that high levels
of ambition in the agricultural market access negotiations in
the World Trade Organisation (WTO) must be tempered with realism
in order to safeguard the interests of millions who depend on
agriculture for their livelihood as in India. In an intervention
at the first session on agricultural market access at the informal
WTO trade ministers meeting at Sharm-El- Sheikh near Cairo in
Egypt today, Mr. Jaitley said: "Those who are pushing for
high level of ambitions in agriculture must realize that the world
is not uniform and that ambitions – as also the situations and
conditions – of different nations are different. The issue of
(market access) in agriculture has political sensitivities, serious
economic consequences and social ramifications. It’s impact on
different countries may be different. And there is no uniform
level of ambition of all. Our level of ambition and our priorities
relate to our 650 million farmers whose average holding is barely
1.57 hectares and the rural poor. Therefore, if these negotiations
are to progress, the high levels of ambition in terms of market
access have to be tempered and special windows in terms of effective
special and differential measures have to be provided. Provision
must also be made for adequate tariff cushioning as even a surge
of one or two commodities can actually affect the lives of millions
of farmers with serious social consequences. Category of special
products and special safeguard mechanisms are extremely important
for India. Only then can the diverse ambitions of different nations
be reconciled to carry the process of negotiations forward".
