WTO members table seven new agriculture negotiating submissions in lead-up to MC14

"One thing is clear," said the Chair of the agriculture negotiating body, Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussain of Pakistan. "Agriculture is a topic which is of paramount interest to the membership, and what they would like to see progress on at MC14."

The new submissions are the first to be tabled since the last WTO ministerial conference concluded with no consensus outcome on food and agriculture.

Unresolved issues highlighted

Some of the submissions focused on specific unresolved issues in the negotiations, whereas others were broader in their scope.

Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay circulated a communication on how to advance the agriculture reform process in the area of market access. The C-4+ group of West African cotton-producing countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali plus Côte d'Ivoire) put forward a negotiating submission on cotton and also shared with WTO members a ministerial declaration on the same topic following a 28 November C-4+ ministerial meeting in Bamako, Mali.

Both the African Group and Brazil shared submissions addressing the agriculture negotiations more broadly, with the one by Brazil presented in the form of a draft ministerial decision.

Two negotiating submissions addressed trade and food security, with one by Jamaica presented as a draft declaration, and another by the group of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) tabled as a draft decision.

In addition to the meeting on the agriculture negotiations, the Chair also convened dedicated discussions on the purchase of food at administered prices under developing economies' public stockholding programmes, and on a proposed new "special safeguard mechanism" which developing economies would be able to use in the event of a sudden surge in import volumes or price depression. All three meetings were held on the same day, back-to-back with each other.

WTO members' reactions

Delegates noted that the submissions had been sent to their respective capitals for review, but many offered preliminary reactions. Some highlighted the importance of fast-tracking progress on issues that ministers had previously identified as priorities in the talks, while others argued in favour of a comprehensive approach. Members also discussed the relationship between trade and food security in its various dimensions.

Several members, including those that did not table new submissions on priorities such as developing economies' public stockholding programmes, reducing trade-distorting domestic support, the special safeguard mechanism, or export restrictions, emphasized that realistic expectations for MC14 should not come at the expense of their long-term objectives in the negotiations.

Some trade officials expressed concern that not all negotiating topics were capable of garnering consensus at the ministerial conference, while some indicated their openness to a declaration addressing questions around trade, agriculture and food security.

Members expressed their readiness to advance efforts toward building consensus on an agricultural outcome at MC14, taking into account the submissions presented throughout the day.

Ambassador Hussain encouraged members to engage constructively with one another to narrow differences and explore possible solutions. He also said he remained ready to help facilitate dialogue between groups and members upon request.

Next steps

The Chair will report on the state of play in the negotiations at the upcoming Trade Negotiations Committee meeting on 12 December, in preparation for the WTO General Council meeting planned on 16 and 17 December. He encouraged WTO members to finalize ahead of these meetings any further submissions they may be still working on.