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| Sunday, 13 June 2004 |
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Indian cabinet says farmers' protection to top its agenda at WTO talks NEW DELHI, June 10 (AFP) India's newly-formed cabinet said Thursday the protection of poor farmers would top its agenda at World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks in Geneva next month. The strategy was fine-tuned by the cabinet ahead of a visit by Commerce Minister Kamal Nath to Brazil, where he will meet members of the Group of 20 developing nations at a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. "Our vision is that the farm sector should be protected and that is our priority. Agriculture is not just a sector or a commodity for us. It is a way of life," he said. "We have to see they (farmers) get not just the right price for their produce, but more price and ensure there is no dumping," Nath added. He said the Indian government wanted adequate safeguards in the form of tariff mechanisms, product classifications and other steps to protect farmers before it thought about giving access to its agricultural markets. More than 60 percent of India's population of more than one billion people depend either directly or indirectly on agriculture for a living. Differences over the future of agricultural export subsidies have been a key sticking point stalling efforts to eliminate global trade barriers through the Doha Round of WTO negotiations. Nath said India was in favour of any regulation that would increase transparency in international trade and smoothened the processes. The WTO is heading into meetings to conclude the so-called Doha round of trade liberalisation talks by the end of the year. India is a key player at global trade forums and banded with other developing countries at the failed WTO talks in Cancun last September. |
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