Rich nations push for diverse issues at WTO to derail agri talks

Move may reduce India's space to seek a permanent solution to public stockholding of food

From rules for small and medium enterprises to gender rights in global trade, developed nations are pushing for a stream of issues for discussion at next month’s meet of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and this may push the agriculture debate off track, India fears.

The global body’s biennial ministerial conference is due next month in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is expected to set the discussion and norms on sectoral issues for at least two years.

While India has decided to focus on seeking a permanent solution to the issue of public food stockpiling and caps on domestic subsidies to