WTO talks end without consensus on agriculture and fisheries

livemint.com:

₹3.20 per kg of wheat or rice as subsidy The permanent peace will remain in force until a permanent solution is agreed upon. India, along with other G-33 members, successfully opposed linking public stockholding of grains to broader agricultural trade reforms, preserving their right to support their agricultural sectors without facing legal challenges in the WTO's dispute system.

The conference also saw a reaffirmation of the commitment to a fully functional dispute settlement system by 2024 and an improvement in the use of special and differential treatment provisions for developing and least developed countries. The issue of fisheries subsidies remained unresolved, with India advocating for special treatment for its small-scale and artisanal fishermen, emphasizing the importance of fishing to the livelihoods of 9 million people in the country.

India proposed that developing countries be allowed to extend subsidies to their fishermen within exclusive economic zones or up to 200 nautical miles from the shore, while suggesting that wealthy nations cease subsidies for fishing beyond this zone for the next 25 years. At the closing session, WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said, “We've worked hard this week, we have achieved some important things and we have not managed to complete others." The conference witnessed a continued debate over the China-led Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) plan, with South Africa withdrawing its opposition but India remaining opposed, citing concerns over sovereignty and the integrity of the global trade system.