No convergence on export competition among WTO members:Nirmala

India today said there is no convergence of views among the WTO members here on the issue of export competition agreement.
"We are disappointed at the cavalier manner in which these issues are being pushed into the future. On the other hand, there is a sudden inexplicable zeal to harvest Export Competition. On this we are told that there is convergence when in fact, there appears to be little," Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at the Plenary Session here.
The European Union and other countries, including Brazil, are seeking a deal on export competition during the ongoing WTO's Ministerial meeting here.

Developed countries, which give huge trade distorting farm subsidies, want emerging nations like India to take greater commitments in terms of reducing their export support.
Some developed nations have raised questions over export support given by India to sugar shipments.
Later in an open-ended agriculture meeting here, Sitharaman said that export competition is one of the pillars of agriculture negotiations and these negotiations are finely balanced on three pillars and "taking out one pillar will disturb the balance".

In the run up to Bali Ministerial meeting, the G-20 including India, had tabled a proposal on Export Competition. But there could not be a binding outcome since many of the members, including some of the members who are now proposing to harvest this pillar, raised the same issue of balance in agriculture negotiations.

"Now the efforts are to cherry pick issues from within the Export Competition pillar and further to dilute the provisions to suit a few members.
Further, these new concepts are being discussed in a
limited group of members, Sitharaman said adding this "severely" impacts the transparency of the process.
During the Plenary Session, EU trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said that a deal in export competition would be beneficial for developing countries.
Brazil too said that WTO has two options in Nairobi. "In the first option, we leave Nairobi with an agreement on prohibition of export subsidies for agriculture products..."
On the Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM), Brazil said that it is important for developing countries to address import surges and price dips due to heavily subsidised imports of agricultural products from developed countries.

Sitharaman asked the WTO Chair to speedily work on a simplified offer of the G-33.
"We expect the membership to engage constructively on the issue so that we can arrive at an outcome in Nairobi," she added.
The four-day WTO ministerial meeting started yesterday.