UN food expert urges permanent solution on agriculture at WTO

Hilal Elver said current agricultural policies in developed countries support overproduction and can wreak havoc on farmers in developing countries

Reforms to the WTO’s agriculture rules and instituting the permanent solution with regards to public stockholding and agriculture safeguards are urgently needed to progress toward the right to adequate food, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver has said.

The rapporteur, who is an independent expert appointed by the Human Rights Council said public stockholding programs constitute the first line of defense for developing countries against price shocks, production volatility, and food insecurity.

Elver said current agricultural policies in developed countries support overproduction and can wreak havoc on farmers in developing countries.

Pointing to significant fall in global crop prices which are projected to stay low in coming years, he said dumping of below-cost goods on developing markets will deal a blow to food security as poor farmers are unable to compete with those subsidised imports.

“This will hamper efforts by developing country governments to increase domestic food production, particularly by smallholder farmers whose families are among the world’s hungry,” Elver said.

India, along with other developing countries have been demanding a special safeguards mechanism (SSM) along the lines of a similar Special (Agricultural) Safeguards (SSGs) enjoyed by developed countries.

Elver also said the current postion maintained by developed countries against these policies will be in bad faith, given the commitment that all countries made to resolve this in 2013 ministerial conference in Bali and the meetings thereafter.

Negotiators have since failed to agree on a post-Bali plan of work, and developed countries have refused to make good on the promise to resolve conflicts over developing country programs that involve public food stockholding for food security purposes. Such programs are being used by a large number of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Elver also expressed grave concern on the calls by negotiators to cease negotiations on the Doha Development Agenda. He said, “the demand by a handful of countries are profoundly troubling.