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Report
No.221005 |
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- International - |
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Asian Farmers' Group Publishes Joint Statement on WTO Negotiation A meeting of the Asian Farmers' Group for Cooperation (AFGC) held in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, adopted and issued on May 11 a joint statement on WTO agricultural negotiation. The meeting discussed mainly about how important products (sensitive products/special products) should be treated in the modalities (standards for the reduction of protective measures), which is planned to be established in December, this year. With respect to negotiation on sensitive products for WTO members, the August 2004 Framework Agreement stipulated that a provision will be made so that special products of developing country members will be given more flexible treatment than sensitive products (of developed country members). Thus developing country members will be given differential treatment distinct from treatment accorded to the developed country members. Differential treatment will also be given developing country members for curbing a surge in import in the form of a special safeguard mechanism. Such a set of different mechanisms makes it difficult for food importing developed and developing countries to join hands in pursuit of common interests in the negotiation regardless of the fact that they have a commonality in being a food importer. Indeed, food importing nations find themselves in two separate groups for negotiation, i.e. developed country food importers including Japan in G10 and developing country members in G33. Against such a background, the Asian Farmers' Group made a renewed confirmation that they share a common stance in emphasizing the great significance for Asian nations that sensitive products/special products be given special consideration, where rice is the staple food and small-scale family farms are dominant in agriculture. The joint statement clearly put that, "The modalities on special products should be more flexible than those for sensitive products", and "Sufficient flexibility should be given to sensitive products". The statement also gives an equally important place to emergency import curbing measures. This aims at having a general rule established that would cover all importing countries and to have a special provision topped up on the general rule in favor of developing country members. It is based on recognition that demands of developing country members are on the same line of thinking as that of Japan and the joint statement reinforced the policy to join forces among the countries which are coming from the common ground. The Asian Farmers' Group for Cooperation is composed of agricultural organizations from India, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam with JA-Zenchu from Japan. |
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