GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – This week, a joint delegation of USA Rice and U.S. Wheat Associates traveled here to meet with 16 World Trade Organization (WTO) delegations regarding the status of agriculture negotiations, organizational reform discussions, planning for the WTO’s 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), and most importantly, an update on the bilateral consultations held with a number of governments with the Government of India to further investigate their use of the Bali Peace Clause (see
USA Rice Daily, July 5, 2022).
Ten of the 16 delegations supported the consultations with India earlier this year. And while these consultations only pertain to India’s rice subsidies, the transparency and distortion issues are somewhat parallel for India’s wheat subsidies.
USA Rice is actively engaged in supporting efforts by the U.S. and other governments to reform parts of the WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture and the institution’s overall functions regarding dispute settlement and appeals through the Aggies for WTO Reform Coalition. The Coalition was formed in early 2021 to provide critical agriculture industry feedback to the U.S. government ahead of the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) held in June 2022.
One of the most critical meetings held this week was with U.S. Ambassador to the WTO Maria Pagán, a former USTR lawyer and experienced trade negotiator. Pagán, who was confirmed to her role in March of this year, was optimistic about the U.S. leadership efforts in resolving longstanding issues with the WTO’s Appellate and Dispute Settlement Bodies. She also helped spearhead efforts to initiate the first-of-their-kind consultations with India to improve transparency into their trade-distorting subsidies that are used in conjunction with their massive public stockholding program for rice, among other commodities.
“From what we saw this week, Ambassador Pagán is very much in tune with U.S. agricultural issues, even referencing the WTO reform coalition that’s led by USA Rice in Washington,” said Michael Rue, California rice producer and vice chair of the USA Rice International Trade Policy Committee. “The ambassador has hit the ground running and appears to have developed a number of allies and earned the respect of her colleagues through her leadership role in negotiating reforms.”
Rue added: “We were also quick to mention to Ambassador Pagán and other WTO delegates throughout the week that we are hopeful these bilateral consultations held with India are just an initial step in the process of truly holding India accountable for their trade distorting and WTO-violative behaviors on rice that will eventually be followed by a formal dispute settlement case.”
Agriculture negotiations have been stalled since the MC12 was held earlier this year. While MC12 ended with no outcome for agriculture, USA Rice, along with many other industry groups, viewed that as a success in staving off India’s calls for a permanent solution on public stockholding and a reversal of progress.
Talks among smaller groups of WTO members continue to happen in the hopes of progress ahead of MC13 which has yet to be scheduled but reportedly will be held in either the United Arab Emirates or Cameroon in early 2024.