Commerce ministry calls stakeholders' meet on WTO issues on January 20

The commerce ministry has called a meeting of all stakeholders, including government officials and trade sector experts, on January 20 to discuss issues which are likely to figure in the WTO meeting, an official said.

The 13th Ministerial Conference (MC) of World Trade Organization (WTO) is scheduled from February 26-29 in Abu Dhabi, the UAE.

MC is the highest decision-making body of the 164-member WTO, which monitors global exports and imports besides adjudicating disputes between member countries. India is the member of the organisation since 1995.

The issues which would figure in the MC 13 include agriculture, food security, dispute settlement reform, e-commerce moratorium, and fisheries subsidies.

"We are meeting all the stakeholders on January 20," the official said.

On the food security issue, India has called for finding a permanent solution to the issue of public stockholding for food security in the ministerial-level meeting.

It has dismissed arguments for alternative food security solutions beyond PSH (public stock holding) and SSM (special safeguard mechanism).

On the e-commerce sector, the WTO members have agreed not to impose customs duties on electronic transmissions since 1998. India opposes the continuation.