Trade talks seek global strategy

The 20 developing nations that scuttled global trade talks in 2003 with their tough stance on agriculture policy sent trade ministers to India for meetings today to discuss their strategy for the next round of talks later this year.

The ministers were expected to prepare a common “strategy and position” on farm trade ahead of the World Trade Organisation ministerial conference in Hong Kong in December, the Indian trade ministry said.

India, China and Brazil led the 20-country group that blocked a US-EU proposal on farm trade at the last WTO ministerial talks, held in Cancun, Mexico, in September 2003.

The talks collapsed when the poorer nations refused to ease investment rules and open their agricultural markets to foreign competition unless rich countries stop giving their farmers billions of dollars in subsidies and cut other non-tariff barriers to trade.

Last July, WTO diplomats met in Geneva and hammered out a framework agreement on the contentious issue so that negotiations on a new global trade treaty could be revived. The WTO held a meeting in Kenya this month seeking to settle key issues before the Hong Kong conference.

Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said yesterday that the two-day meeting in New Delhi would take stock of the progress made on the technical aspects of the framework agreement. “We have to ensure our interests and concerns are incorporated in the final outcome of the Hong Kong ministerial,” he said.

It would also discuss the non-tariff barriers, such as tough sanitary standards on food imports from developing countries that have been imposed by the European Union and others.

The group consists of India, Brazil, South Africa, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, China, Cuba, Egypt, Guatemala, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Tanzania, Thailand, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

It “represents the needs of billions of poor farmers in developing countries,” Nath said. “It is not a closed group, and has been open to participation of other interested countries that support its objectives.”

Top trade officials from Uruguay, Indonesia, Guyana and Zambia are also attending the talks.