The farm deal that needs to be reworked

India has, in fact, been a major victim of the flaws in the AoA

More than two and a half decades after the signing of the global Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) under the World Trade Organization (WTO), and its amendments at the biennial ministerial meets, a level playing field for agricultural trade between developing and developed countries is still elusive. The agreement has numerous asymmetries and imbalances built into it and they tilt it towards developed countries. These anomalies adversely affect the interests of small-holder farmers of developing countries, who are looking for a broader market for their farm produce to realise better prices. Besides, several critical issues concerning domestic support to farming, export