The Hindu : International : Berlin event shows how to produce better, not more

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005

International

International

Berlin event shows how to produce better, not more

By Gargi Parsai

BERLIN, JAN. 25. "India should play a more active role in the G-20 group. We feel that Brazil (in that group) is more pro-liberalisation in the farm sector than India,'' Germany's Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection, Mathais Berninger, told visiting mediapersons at the International Green Week (IGW), Berlin 2005.

Cap on farm subsidy

Till Sunday, over one million people had visited the 70th international exhibition of food, agricultural, horticultural, dairy, livestock and marine industries.

The level of subsidies would be the focus of discussions in the next round of WTO meeting in Hong Kong in December 2005. Developed countries with huge budgetary deficits are already moving towards an internal "modest cap'' on farm subsidies and decoupling subsidies from farm production. These are the issues at hand here with which India can identify, even though India is not an official entry here. There were only two stalls in the Asian pavilion selling Indian cuisine.

As the European Union steers a Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), agriculture is no longer considered market-oriented production of commodities. The CAP is reoriented towards "greener'' agriculture, bio-oriented farms, protection of animals and rural development.

"We want fewer, but more profitable farms, to enable them to keep up with European standards," pointed out the Turkish Minister of Agriculture, Prof. Sami Güclü, during a discussion on innovative agriculture.

His country in the process of restructuring the domestic agricultural sector, which is dominated by small operations. Like the member nations, Turkey has to comply with E.U. standards to qualify for its support to invite foreign direct investment.

Row over GM food

The controversy over GM foods continues to invoke mixed reactions even between the European Union nations. Germany, with the Green party leader, Renate Kunast, as the Federal Minister for Agriculture and Consumer Protection, has brought in laws to regulate GM foods, which has invoked strong reactions in some sections. The impact of this "irreversible'' technology on biodiversity is a big issue in the E.U. "Biotechnology works perfect with big farms. I don't feel MNCs will feed the world because they focus on a few commodities and work on that,'' said Mr Berninger.

In 1997, the E.U. had banned export of marine products from India on the ground that some consignments were found to be contaminated with salmonella even as the India's trade with the U.S. continued during the period for the same product. India and other developing nations have, therefore, sought acceptance of Codex Alimentarius Commission standards as the guiding principle instead of each nation bloc setting its own standard which may keep developing countries out of the market.

At the IGW, producers from all over the world showcase food and luxury items combined with international wine, beer and spirits specialties and establish a brand image in European markets. Responding to growing trends, the IGW also includes direct agricultural sales and the organic products section. The E.U. aim is to encourage farmers not to produce more but to produce better.

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