WTO
Members Demand Updation of Agri Agreement for Ground
Developments
WTO members reviewed the history of negotiations on food and agriculture
since the conclusion of the Uruguay Round during meetings of the Committee on Agriculture's
negotiations body on 27 October. It was the latest in a series of thematic briefings
by the WTO Secretariat as members explore options for a path forward in the negotiations
following inconclusive ministerial-level talks in March.
[ABS News Service/03.11.2026]
At a meeting of the Committee
on Agriculture in Special Session (CoA-SS), WTO Secretariat staff delivered two
presentations, at the request of members, on the history of agriculture negotiations
since the conclusion of the Uruguay Round.
The presentations are part of a series looking at how talks on various negotiating
topics have evolved over time. One presentation looked at talks on export competition
- covering export subsidies and measures considered to have possible equivalent
effects - while the other reviewed talks on food bought for public stocks at administered
prices by developing country governments.
During the meeting, the Chair,
Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussain (Pakistan), said that the sessions provided a common
factual basis for members' exchanges and complemented other initiatives aimed at
promoting evidence-based negotiations. He asked members to reflect on their positions
and share views on how to advance the negotiations.
Negotiations on agriculture began
in 2000, under Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture, but have achieved only
limited progress since then.
The Secretariat's presentations
looked at WTO members' proposals on both export competition and food bought for
public stocks in the run-up to the WTO ministerial conferences in Bali (2013) and
Nairobi (2015) as well as subsequent developments.
Trade officials participating
in the meeting thanked staff for the briefings, stating that they found the presentations
to be highly informative. Many said they appreciated the historical depth provided
by the presentations, which helped them to gain a better understanding of why and
how negotiating proposals and decisions were made during past talks.
Many delegations expressed support
for engaging in 2027 in follow-up discussions on these technical presentations by
the Secretariat, as well as further thematic discussions, possibly with inputs from
other international organisations, academics or industry stakeholders.
Trade officials reaffirmed that
agriculture remains central to the WTO negotiating agenda, with many also underscoring
the importance of the CoA-SS as the central forum for the agriculture negotiations.
However, some said that agriculture should also be addressed in a complementary
manner as part of separate cross-cutting talks on WTO reform.
Many members from various groups
made the case that improving food security should remain an important goal of the
negotiations. Some members emphasized that the negotiations should take full account
of the profound changes that have taken place over the past 30 years as well as
contemporary challenges facing the agricultural trading system. One member underscored
that net food importing developing countries were facing today more challenges than
10 years ago and suggested revisiting the provisions related to export to, and by,
these countries.
Several members advocated prioritization
of topics that were the object of past ministerial decisions, such as public stockholding
for food security purposes (food bought for public stocks at administered prices
by developing country governments), the special safeguard mechanism (a proposed
new tool for developing countries to raise tariffs temporarily in the event of sudden
surges in import volumes or price drops) or cotton. Other members reaffirmed their
longstanding position that the negotiations should advance in a balanced manner
across all negotiating pillars and without preconditions.
The Chair concluded by stating
that the next meeting of the negotiating body on agriculture planned for 23 November
would include thematic presentations on export restrictions and on the special safeguard
mechanism. A final presentation on cotton is scheduled for the first meeting of
2027.
China and Brazil announced they
are hosting another session of the Dialogue on Emerging Agricultural Trade Issues
(EAT) during the week starting 23 November, looking at farmers, cooperatives and
trade. Japan informed members that it was also planning to organize a side event
during the same week on export restrictions, inviting experts from international
organizations and the private sector.