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Showing posts with label Ministerial Conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ministerial Conference. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Bali ’13: WFO urges political leaders on increasing trade systems


As the city of Bali hosts the 9th World Trade Organisation (WTO’s) ministerial conference, the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) has urged the political leaders of trade to give new momentum to the multilateral trading system, in order to throw-up new balance of trade that is transparent, reports NaijaAgroNet.

“Farmers from throughout the world today called on leaders attending the WTO ministerial in Bali this week to give new momentum to trade talks by reaching a balanced agreement and a clear work programme to ensure a fair, predictable and transparent trading system” says the Marco Marzano, executive director, WFO.

This was the main message of the WFO at their side event held in Bali, Tuesday, during the Trade and Development Symposium, which is being held in parallel with the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference.

The panel of the session featured: Bruce Wills, President of Federated Farmers of New Zealand, Henri Brichart, Vice-President, National Federation of Agricultural Holders’ Unions (FNSEA), Ron Bonnett, President-Canadian Federation of Agriculture.

For Bonnett, the international trade is one important way of evening out supply and demand imbalances, but more work is needed if farmers are to meet future demand for food around the world. The World Farmers’ Organisation believes that an agreement on terms of trade at a multilateral level is the best way to ensure the greatest benefits for the widest population and strongly supports the World Trade Organization. 

According to him, it is not only important that the Ministerial tackles some long-standing trade problems but also look for solutions to new challenges, such as the increasing concern about food security, in ways which do not result in trade distortions.”

“The WFO's trade policy position was adopted by farmers’ organizations from Africa, Asia, North America, Latin America, Europe and Oceania in April 2013 – added World Farmers’ Organisation - . The WFO is committed to the pursuit of ambitious trade policy objectives guided by basic principles which ensure that farmers throughout the world can fulfil their wider economic, social and environmental role and that the special needs of the least developing countries are taken into account. 

WFO is also calling for action to reinforce the global trading systems by strengthening international standards, reducing protectionist measures, encouraging capacity building, increased transparency and predictability of agricultural markets, and ensure farmers benefit from the opening of markets. The WFO calls on world leaders in Bali to set out a clear work program for 2014 which will ensure concrete progress in this direction”.


“We welcome the conclusion of the agreement, a clear sign of another step forward in ensuring a more balanced and transparent trade system also for farmers," the group emphasised.

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Wednesday, October 23, 2013

WTO: G33 reopen talks on subsidies in December



Anthony Nwakaegho /NaijaAgroNet
A group of developing countries known as G33 plans to re-open World Trade Organization, (WTO) discussions on limits to support for farmers at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia in December.
The group said that the combined effects of the global economic slowdown and increasing climatic shocks are threatening food security in developing countries and want to exceed their agreed domestic support limits when they buy, stock and supply cereals and other food to boost food security among the poor, devoid of any legal challenge.
NaijaAgroNet learnt that the WTO rules do not prescribe limits on the amount of food that can be bought at market prices for food stocks, and it does not limit the amount of food that can be provided as domestic food aid at subsidized prices, except that WTO only disciplines buying cereals at administered prices.
However, developed countries and some developing countries are concerned that the G33 proposal which is backed by India, China and Indonesia could affect food security in neighbouring countries as these measures could lead to surpluses in stocks, which the G33 members might dump in the global market thereby disrupting global prices.
Chairman of India's Commission for Agriculture Cost and Prices (CACP), Ashok Gulati, said that India wants more leeway to provide support for its farmers and consumers because the government is launching a massive subsidized food scheme through a public distribution system that will reach two-thirds of its population of nearly 800 million people.
 He explained that a situation where India would be in a position to dump excess stocks could arise "once in 10 years as the larger distortion will be domestic."

NaijaAgroNet noted that a representative from one of the G33 countries at the WTO, who preferred not to be named, said not all the members of the group were supportive of the proposal and stressed that “India is already the largest exporter of rice in the world... Small exporters will lose their competitiveness because of Indian subsidies... Rice prices are already going down, and with further subsidies it can lead to a price crash.”

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