The Hindu : Business : India not to compromise on food security

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Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007
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India not to compromise on food security

Staff Reporter

Stress on special products, safeguard mechanism

— PHOTO: AFP

UNITED THEY STAND: Union Minister of Commerce Kamal Nath (second from right) and Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim (right) at a press conference in Geneva on Monday.

NEW DELHI: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath has emphasised the importance of `Special Products' (SPs) and `Special Safeguard Mechanism' (SSM) for protecting food and livelihood security needs of India.

"This issue would not be allowed to be diluted in any way by the developed countries to satisfy their demand for additional market access in the developing country markets,'' the Minister said at the meeting of the G-33, a group of developing countries that coordinate on trade and economic issues, at Geneva on Monday.

The member countries of G-33 are fighting to safeguard their interests in WTO agriculture negotiations. There was a general consensus among the 46-member countries of the G-33 to engage constructively with the developed countries on indicators, which would yield the number of `Special Products' required by a developing country. Apart from the G-33 meeting, strategic meetings of the G-20, the group of developing countries with special interest in agriculture, NAMA-11 group of developing nations led by Brazil and India were held. The G-20 and G-33 meetings were attended by Mr. Kamal Nath and the trade ministers of many developing countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia and South Africa, .

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