The Cairns group proposals on agriculture submitted to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) mirror those of the US in calling for steep tariff cuts but ignoring the issue of domestic support.
The convergence on views between the two groups does not bode well for developing and underdeveloped countries, feel experts.
The Cairns group comprising 14 developed and developing countries, which has traditionally been supportive of liberalisation in agriculture, has this time submitted a proposal on market access, seeking reduction of tariffs.
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However, the proposal completely ignores the issue of reduction of domestic support in developed countries.
The issue has caused a split within the Cairns group with developing countries like the Philippines, Argentina and Colombia demanding that developed countries such as Canada and Australia be more aggressive in calling for domestic support to be brought down.
Indonesia did not sign the Cairns Market Access position in protest against the lack of support for their food security proposal calling for exclusion of four staple crops from tariff reductions.
The European Union (EU), the other major player in the agriculture negotiations, has not submitted a proposal this time.
The main objective of the three major players in agriculture negotiations, the EU, the US and the Cairns group, is market access in developing countries, say trade specialists.
All three have called for reduction in tariffs, with the only difference lying in the degree of reduction.
However, concerns of developing countries, like food security and setting up of a development box have been completely ignored by the three players.
Discussions have been restricted to having a temporary safeguard measure, with the modalities to be negotiated, they add.