India to pursue food security issue with greater vigour at WTO

India will pursue with "greater vigour" a work programme for finding a permanent solution to the food security issue besides continuing the fight for reaffirmation of WTO's Doha Round at Geneva, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today.
The minister said she was "utterly disappointed" because with one voice, the WTO could not reaffirm the Doha Developmental Agenda.
One of the key agendas of Doha round was substantial reduction of farm subsidies by developed nations.
The Nairobi ministerial declaration has clearly stated that "there is one section which did not want to reaffirm (the Doha Round) and there is another (India, China G33, Arab Nations and least developed countries) which wants to reaffirm and that section will keep fighting to have it reaffirmed... that fight will continue," she told reporters here.

On the issue of public stockholding for food security purposes, she said the country will pursue it with greater vigour in Geneva so that a work programme is given at the "earliest".
"And based on the work programme, the Committee on Agriculture's special session will be held and as was committed in Bali and reaffirmed in Nairobi, a permanent solution should emerge by 2017," she said.

For a permanent solution, India had proposed either amending the formula to calculate the food subsidy cap of 10 per cent, which is based on the reference price of 1986-88, or allowing such schemes outside the purview of subsidy caps.

The food security issue is related to several developing nations which provide subsidised foodgrains to the poor.
On special safeguard mechanism (SSM), she said it was a right given to the developing nations in the Hong Kong Ministerial declaration and now India would ask for preparation of a work programme on this also.
SSM is important for India as it would help developing countries to provide protection to poor farmers in case of sudden surge in imports or dip in global commodity prices.
Further, talking about TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) at the Nairobi meeting, she said the reaffirmation prevent evergreening of patents in the pharmaceuticals sector.

One of the decisions adopted at Nairobi extends the relevant provision to prevent evergreening of patents in the pharmaceuticals sector to ensure accessibility and affordability of generic medicines.
"It was a kind of a peace clause, that you will prevent the evergreening of patents. So if there was any attempt being made by anybody to try and get a evergreening of patents done in medicines, this prevents that," Additional Secretary in the Commerce Ministry Arvind Mehta said.
A debate was going on in Geneva that countries should graduate to 'TRIPS plus' provision.
Sitharaman said that during a bilateral discussion with

the EU, the bloc indicated that it will hold negotiations for the comprehensive free trade agreement only after concluding the new bilateral investment treaty with India.
"I went to check up with the EU Trade Commissioner (about when the talks could start). They are keen to get the investment agreement negotiated," she said.
Last year, India had asked all countries with which India has investment protection agreements, including the EU, to renegotiate those pacts on the basis of the new model draft text of BIT.
The EU has not yet started the talks and the existing BITs with members are set to lapse from April 1.

The commerce minister also held bilateral meetings with Australia, Canada and New Zealand and all showed keenness in concluding their respective free trade pacts.
Switzerland, too, has expressed interest in speeding up the negotiation for India-EFTA trade pact, the minister said.
Asked about the statement made by the new US administration on its global trade policy, she said: "We have to see how he (the new US President) is going to translate that into action."
On discussions with regard to "industrial revolution 4.0" at the World Economic Forum, she said a separate chapter of South Asia will be set up.

Industrial revolution 4.0 refers to automation, use of robotics and Internet of things (IoT).
India, she said, is absolutely ready, which is already using robotics in auto and defence, but not in every sector as it has a huge skilled manpower.
"We are a manpower rich country. We are also using digitisation," she added.