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)