India “utterly disappointed” Doha mandate not reaffirmed — WTO

Since China has historically charged high tariffs, it is hoped that this deal will open up it up as a new markets for other exporters as China shifts away from its export-led growth model towards a consumer society. It is WTO’s most significant outcome in agriculture.

New Zealand farmers look set to benefit from a new trade deal just signed in Kenya.

“Export subsidies have always been acknowledged as the most damaging form of subsidy and their removal from agricultural trade is a watershed for global trade”.

According to the agreement adopted on agricultural exports, developing countries must also eliminate their subsidies, but not until 2018, and with some exceptions until 2023.

“We are at a stage where surprises sprung on us on topics which have not reached a conclusion in Geneva”, she said.

“New Zealand dairy farmers are making production cuts to try and ride through this rough patch”.

Earlier during negotiations, India was at the receiving end of criticism regarding its attempts to “block” a global trade deal. US Trade Representative Michael Froman went so far as to call the move “a turning point for the World Trade Organization”. “That’s good news for our work in the years ahead”. “Africa’s farmers simply can not compete against heavily subsidised farmers in developed countries”, Kenyatta said here on Tuesday.

Foreign Affairs’ CS Amina Mohammed, right, and Director General WTO Brazil’s Roberto Azevedo display a copy of the WTO Draft Nairobi Declaration during Tenth Ministerial Conference at Kenyatta International Convention Center on Saturday, Dec 19, 2015.

India would soon submit the draft text on agriculture and WTO’s ministerial declaration.

There was no consensus in the final declaration on the future of the Doha talks, named after the Qatari capital in which they started in 2001 with the aim of adding billions of dollars to global trade by stimulating cross-border commerce.

In addition, negotiators disagreed on whether large emerging economies should continue to benefit from preferential trade conditions in the same way as poorer African countries.

“We can not, however, simply repeat what we have been doing for the last 15 years and expect different results”, she said, referring to the Doha round. I would urge the organisers to extend it for a week, ‘ said the joyful Kyalo.

The deal is an extension of an Information Technology Agreement (ITA) made in 1996, and is the biggest tariff-cutting deal by the WTO in nearly two decades.

At least seven major decisions were reached at the stormy conference, including an agreement to remove taxes on electronic goods among 53 major nations and resolution on how much in food stocks different countries should hold in their reserves.