G-33 ministers meet to push balance, fair farm trade
G-33 ministers meet to push balance, fair farm trade
Zakki P. Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Group of 33 developing countries kicked off its first
ministerial meeting here on Saturday in a bid to pursue better
balance and fairer global trade in agriculture, taking into
account the needs of developing and least-developed countries.
Indonesian Minister of Trade Mari E. Pangestu said in her
opening remarks that host country Indonesia -- which on Saturday
launched a national program of revitalizing the agriculture
sector -- would fight for "food security" and rural development
in global trade diplomacy, such as through the G-33 in the World
Trade Organization (WTO) talks.
Indonesia leads the group fighting for the Special Products
and Special Safeguard Mechanism (SP-SSM), which would work as an
incentive for farmers in the developing world. Such schemes, will
in turn, increase farm output and total exports.
"Increasing income in rural areas will have immediate and
significant multiplier effects to increase demand for
manufacturing goods and services," said Mari.
The group is fighting for the SP-SSM at the WTO to be allowed
to slap exorbitant tariffs on staple foods, such as rice, sugar,
soybeans and corn, from, among other regulations, excessive cuts
in customs duties in the WTO and an influx of heavily subsidized
imports.
The G-33, which is now an alliance of 42 developing countries,
has a goal to ensure that the issues of food security, livelihood
security and rural development become an integral part of the
current WTO trade negotiations and outcome, as called for by the
Doha Development agenda.
The two-day meeting was the first G-33 ministerial meeting
since the collapse of WTO talks in Cancun, Mexico, in 2003, Mari
said, and it was just in time before the agreed deadline of "July
1 approximation", in which WTO members should already have
prepared their negotiation modalities.
Trade ministry's secretary-general Hatanto Reksodipoetro said
the meeting was held at a critical moment, as there were less
than six months left before the Doha negotiation round was
supposed to conclude.
He said if the series of talks within the next six months
fail, it would result in a deadlock in the multilateral talks for
trade liberalization, and it could result in most countries
returning to protectionism.
Only 18 G-33 member countries attended the two-day meeting,
with six of them represented by ministers namely India, Sri
Lanka, the Philippines, Kenya, Tanzania and the host country.
"But (countries which couldn't come) have said that they would
agree on whatever decision we make," Indonesian Ambassador to WTO
Gusmardi Bustami said, adding that the limited participation
should not be seen as a lack of commitment.
He said the SP-SSM proposal was a result of a formulating
process conducted by the respective member's permanent WTO
representatives in Geneva.