Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: India told WTO members that its success in feeding a large population demonstrates the country’s understanding of what is best for developing nations at the negotiation table, an official said. “It is time for some developed members to abandon the higher moral ground,” the Geneva-based official said.
The observations were made at an agriculture negotiation meeting in Geneva, chaired by Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Turkey.
In recent negotiations, India, along with 80 World Trade Organization (WTO) members, has made it clear that the focus of the outcome on agriculture at the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in February 2024 should centre around a food security package, with a solution for public stockholding at its core.
The Ministerial Conference is the highest decision-making body of the WTO. It is scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi in February next year.
“India has stated that this solution should provide developing members with sufficient flexibility to purchase food stocks at market support prices,” the official said.
During the meeting, the Chair called on members to consider the textual suggestions related to one element of public stockholding — notifications and transparency — with the aim of facilitating entry into text-based negotiations.
