India’s stand vindicated: Minister

Late on Thursday, the World Trade Organization’s General Council adopted a decision on public stockholding for food security purposes, on the Trade Facilitation Agreement and also on Post Bali Work.

Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told Parliament: “I am making this intervention in the House in order to place before the Hon’ble Members the facts relating to recent developments in the World Trade Organization, which came to a successful conclusion yesterday [Thursday], vindicating the principled stand taken by India,” Ms. Sitharaman said.

On August 5, she informed Parliament that India had decided not to join the consensus in the WTO on the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement till concerns relating to the implementation of other Bali Ministerial decisions, in particular, the one on public stockholding for food security purposes, were addressed.

“I am happy to report to this House that we have been able to secure an outcome that addresses our concerns,” Ms. Sitharaman said.

The General Council decision on food security is new and unambiguous, the Minister said. “It makes it clear that a mechanism, under which WTO members will not challenge the public stockholding programmes of developing country members for food security purposes, in relation to certain obligations under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, will remain in place in perpetuity until a permanent solution regarding this issue has been agreed and adopted.”

This would guard against the possibility of no cover being available after 2017 in case a permanent solution is not arrived at by then, she said.

She also said that there was a firm commitment to engage in negotiations for a permanent solution through an intensified programme of work.

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