RI to ask WTO to be flexible on agriculture

RI to ask WTO to be flexible on agriculture

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia and many developing countries will be
demanding during the next World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting
that the organization be flexible on agricultural issues so as to
support the countries' efforts to secure food supplies, alleviate
poverty and develop rural areas.

Makarim Wibisono, director general for external economic
relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday
that the agricultural sector was still vital for developing
countries.

"Agriculture is closely related with the developing
countries's policy to solve their fundamental domestic problems,
secure food supplies, increase rural welfare and alleviate
poverty," Makarim said on the sidelines of a two-day roundtable
discussion on "Developing Countries' Interests and Concerns in
Relation to Agricultural Liberalization under the WTO."

The roundtable discussion was jointly organized by Indonesia
and Australia.

Also present at the discussion were Australian Ambassador to
Indonesia Richard Smith, resident representative of the United
Nations Development Program (UNDP) Bo Asplund and delegates from
neighboring countries including India, Pakistan and Malaysia.

The next WTO meeting is scheduled for November in Doha, Qatar.

Agriculture was one of the thorniest issues at the last WTO
conference in Seattle in 1999, which ended in failure amid
antiglobalization demonstrations.

WTO member countries have long agreed to give "special and
differential provisions" for developing countries with regard to
their agricultural policy, Makarim said.

"We are now pushing the flexibility issue as there have been
indications that some developed countries are attempting to
reduce the scope of the special and differential provisions
bracket," Makarim said.

Halida Miljani, Indonesia's alternate permanent representative
ambassador to the WTO, shared similar concerns.

"There have been talks in Geneva indicating maneuvers by some
developed countries to revoke manufacturing products, one by one,
from the coverage of the special and differential provisions,"
Halida said, declining to name the countries.

"We're very upset with them. The WTO's current regulations are
unfair to us. Why do they want to limit our movement now," she
said.

By "unfair", Halida was referring to WTO's regulation which on
one hand allows developed countries to subsidize farmers, while
on the other hand bans developing countries from providing such
subsidies to bolster their agricultural production.

Bonnie Setiawan, coordinator of a local non-governmental
organization called NGO Coalition to Watch WTO, agreed that WTO
had been unfair toward developing countries.

"For developed countries, agricultural issues are nothing but
industry and trade issues. But, for developing countries, issues
regarding food and agriculture products are still closely related
with social issues," Bonnie said.

Bonnie said the WTO must stop regulating the developing
countries' agriculture sector and leave the role to other
international bodies such as the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization. (03)