India is being represented at the meeting, which began on Sunday, by Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu who will be pushing for a permanent solution to the public food stock-holding issue which is crucial for operating the food security programme.
During the course of the four-day deliberations, the developing nations will resist the efforts by the developed nations to formally set aside the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) and place new issues including e-commerce on the negotiating table.
Prabhu has intensified his consultations and bilateral meetings to muster support for issues like public stock- holding and Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM), which are crucial for India.
The minister had met the representatives of European Union, his South African counterpart and participated in the meetings of the South Centre and the G33 grouping.
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"Met with the EU and had bilateral meetings (with trade ministers of other countries)...so that we have a common platform. So when we finally push our agenda there is enough support for us," Prabhu told reporters here.
As regards SSM, Karau said, "Several members want an outcome...but more likely outcome may be a work programme."
The outcome is likely to be on issues concerning domestic support, export restrictions and cotton, while a few others like export competition, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and market access may have work programmes, he added.
Edwin Kessie, Director, Agriculture Division said that "even if we dont get a solution, Peace Clause will continue".
India is keen for a permanent solution to the public stock-holding issue at the ministerial, the highest policy making body of the WTO and wants that the solution should be better than the Peace Clause.
As an interim measure, the WTO members at the Bali ministerial meeting in December 2013 had agreed to put in place a mechanism popularly called the Peace Clause and committed to negotiate an agreement for that at the 11th ministerial meeting, which is underway at Buenos Aires.
As regards SSM, it is an instrument which would help developing countries to deal with import surges and price dips as a result of high subsidies provided by the developed countries to agriculture products.
An agreement on SSM is important for India as the applied customs duty on some of the agriculture products is at the bound rate, meaning it cant be raised further. These include products such as chicken legs, apples, olive oils and rice.
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