G33 ministers stress importance of food security

The crucial importance of food security for developing countries was underscored by ministers and representatives of the Group of 33 (G33) food-producing nations which met on the occasion of the Bali ministerial meet and thus provided valuable support to the Indian initiative on food security.

Kanaga Raja

---

THE ministers and representatives of the developing-country G33 grouping, meeting on the occasion of the ninth WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali, reiterated the importance of food security, livelihood security and rural development in developing countries, including small, vulnerable economies (SVEs) and least developed countries (LDCs), as enshrined in the Doha and Hong Kong mandates.

In a Ministerial Communique issued in Bali on 2 December, the G33 emphasised the importance of delivering on the ongoing reform in agriculture and the completion of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) including the elimination of global production and trade distortions that hinder productivity and competitiveness of hundreds of millions of poor farmers in the developing world.

In the face of increased volatility of food production and prices on the global market since the food and financial crises in 2008, the G33 communique underlined the importance of public stockholding for food security purposes in the developing countries' food security, livelihood security and rural development strategy.

The ministers also urged members to remain cognizant of the subsistence nature of agriculture in most developing countries including SVEs and LDCs.

'We recognise the members' collective resolve to advance negotiations where concrete progress can be achieved including focusing on elements of the DDA and with a view to achieve an outcome that would among others rectify some of the gross imbalances in the subsisting WTO rules on agriculture. To this end, the G33 submitted a proposal on some elements of the Draft [Agriculture] Modalities for early agreement to address food security, livelihood security, and rural development imperatives.'

The ministers expected members' engagement to work on the G33 proposal to achieve the 'permanent solution'.

The ministers recognised the members' engagement in discussing an 'interim solution' for the ninth Ministerial Conference (MC9) as well as other issues of negotiation for MC9.

'While we fully respect each member's rights and negotiating positions in the negotiation, we express our deep disappointment that in the Geneva process members failed to find convergence, despite all the efforts and flexibilities that [have] been shown by the G33 and other members.'

The ministers thus strongly urged members to find ways to address the impasse considering the negative impact of failure to deliver concrete outcomes in Bali on the credibility of the WTO as the negotiating forum for multilateral trade rules, on the reinvigoration of the DDA agriculture negotiation 'as well as to our constituents, specifically to the most vulnerable members of the population'.

They noted with deep disappointment that the deadline to implement the elimination of agricultural export subsidies in 2013, as stipulated in the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration, has been missed, and that a legally binding outcome to eliminate export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect cannot be realised in Bali.

They reiterated the importance of maintaining special and differential treatment in the areas of export competition as well as in tariff rate quota administration.

'We note that intensive and inclusive engagements on [a] package for MC9 in Geneva have brought much progress in a large number of difficult and sensitive areas. We should build on existing efforts for further negotiations post-Bali in order to achieve [a] balanced outcome.'

Critical tool

The G33 ministers were of the view that having the 'permanent solution' for the Public Stockholding for Food Security Purposes in Developing Countries contained in document JOB/AG/22 of 13 November 2012 is a critical tool for achieving 'our broader food security, livelihood security and rural development concerns'.

'We, therefore, call for immediate engagement to jump-start work for the permanent solution after Bali MC9 so as to conclude it during the currency of the interim solution.'

The ministers committed themselves, and strongly urged other WTO members to continue delivering the Doha Development Agenda based on the Draft Agriculture Modalities of December 2008. They also urged WTO members to complete the Doha Round at the earliest.

'In the broader Doha agricultural reform, we underscore the need to secure Special Products (SPs) and Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM). We underline that the special and differential treatment for developing countries including SVEs and LDCs in the agriculture negotiations must be operationally effective to enable developing countries to effectively take account of their development needs.'

According to the statement, the G33 shall remain resilient and a dynamic group representing the evolving needs of the hundreds of millions of farmers in the developing world.

'Thus, we reaffirm our critical and complementary role in facilitating and ensuring that the global agricultural reform [is] attuned to needs of all developing countries as well as in establishing a strong, fair, and market oriented rules-based multilateral trading framework through meaningful and effective special and differential treatment for the food security, livelihood security and rural development of the developing world.'             

This article is reproduced from the South-North Development Monitor (SUNS, No. 7709, 2 December 2013).

*Third World Resurgence No. 281/282, January/February 2014, pp 33-34