India pitches for food security steps at WTO meet

International

oi-Deepika S

New
Delhi,
Jun
12:
India
on
Sunday
pitched
for
a
permanent
solution
to
the
issue
of
public
stock
holding
of
grains
for
food
security
programmes
and
strongly
protect
the
interests
of
farmers
and
fishermen
at
the
12th
ministerial
meet
of
the
World
Trade
Organization.

The
Indian
delegation
is
being
led
by
Commerce
and
Industry
Minister
Piyush
Goyal.

Taking
to
Twitter,
Goyal
wrote,
“Fighting
for
rights
of
our
farmers
within
an
hour
of
landing
at
WTO,
Geneva
at
the
G33
Ministerial
Meeting.
Discussed
prospects
of
a
permanent
solution
to
public
stockholding
for
food
security
with
DG
Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala
and
my
counterparts
from
the
developing
and
least
developed
nations.”

India
also
wants
the
WTO
to
allow
exports
of
foodgrains
from
public
stocks
for
international
food
aid
and
for
humanitarian
purposes,
especially
on
a
government-to-government
basis,
an
official
said.

The
current
WTO
norms
do
not
permit
a
member
country
to
export
foodgrains
from
public
stock
holdings
as
they
are
subsidised
grains.

The
main
issues
in
the
meeting
include
WTO
response
to
the
COVID-19
pandemic,
including
patent
waiver;
agriculture
and
food
security;
WTO
reforms;
proposed
fisheries
subsidies
agreement;
and
extension
of
the
moratorium
on
electronic
transmission.

India
has
a
vital
stake
in
protecting
the
interests
of
all
stakeholders
in
the
country
as
well
as
the
interests
of
the
developing
and
poor
nations
that
look
up
to
the
leadership
of
India
at
multilateral
forums
including
WTO.