Indian farmers' hopes crash at WTO: Oxfam
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July 26 2006: Lakhs of the world’s poorest farmers, many of them in India, will remain shackled to the existing system of rigged rules and double standards in trade rules following the suspension of the Doha round of development trade talks.
"India, a leading voice for poor farmers at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has negotiated hard to save the world from a bad agriculture trade deal but failed talks mean that steep farm subsidies in the US and the EU will keep Indian farmers from competing in international markets," said Palash Kanti Das, Oxfam’s South Asia Policy Advisor. "Poorer farmers in Least Development Countries (LDCs) like Bangladesh will continue to suffer even more. Failed talks are indeed a tragic outcome for all developing countries." Rich nations have failed to keep the promises they made five years ago to provide genuine trade benefits to reduce poverty in developing countries. The trail of broken promises particularly in agriculture will hurt the most. "Multilateral trade rules are the only way forward if the world wants trade to help lift poor out of poverty," said Samar Verma, Oxfam's Senior Policy Advisor in Oxford. "The WTO will not serve its purpose if it only remains a dispute resolving mechanism while bilateral and regional trade agreements flourish. India, as a growing global power and a leading member of developing countries at the WTO, should continue to be pro-active to ensure that multilateral negotiations are resumed and the promised development outcome of the Doha Round is delivered." The failure of the talks are due to gross self-interest shown by the US and the EU who have consistently failed to make convincing offers to reduce unfair agricultural protection. For more information contact: Aditi Kapoor at +91 9810306200 akapoor@oxfam.org.uk http://www.oxfam.org.uk |
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