Home
|
Sitemap
|
FAQs
|
Contact Us
Product
Country
Menu
About Agri Exchange
Introduction
Apeda Agri Exchange
The Vision
Benefits / Facilities
To Exporters
To Buyers
Product Profile
Floriculture
Floriculture
Fruits & Vegetables Seeds
Fresh fruits & Vegetables
Fresh Onion
Other Fresh Vegetables
Walnuts
Fresh Mangoes
Fresh Grapes
Other Fresh Fruits
Others (Betel Leaves & Nuts)
Processed Fruits & Vegetables
Cucumber and Gherkins (Prepd. & Presvd.)
Processed Vegetables
Mango Pulp
Processed Fruits,Juices & Nuts
Pulses
Animal Products
Buffalo Meat
Sheep/ Goat Meat
Other Meat
Processed Meat
Animal Casing
Poultry Products
Dairy Products
Natural Honey
Caseins
Albumin (Eggs & Milk)
Other Processed Foods
Groundnuts
Guar Gum
Jaggery & confectionery
Cocoa Products
Cereal Preparation
Milled Products
Alcoholic Beverages
Miscellaneous Preperations
Cereals
Basmati Rice
Non Basmati Rice
Wheat
Maize
Other Cereals
Country Profile
United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Malaysia
Bangladesh
United States
Vietnam
Kuwait
Iran
United Kingdom
Indonesia
...View more country profiles
FTA's
Analytical Report on FTAs
Tariff Concession under FTAs
Statistics
International Trade
India's Export
India's Import
Production
International Production
India Production
Market Intelligence
e-Bulletin
Global Analytical Report
India's Export Analytical Report
Comparative Report On APEDA Products
Comparative Report On Principal Commodities
Import Tariffs
Import Regulations
SPS Notifications
DGFT : Public Notice, Notifications, Circular and Trade Notice
India Food Safety & Standards
Market Reports
Foreign Trade Policy 2023
Chapter 01 - Legal Framework and Trade Facilitation
Chapter 02 - General Provisions Regarding Imports and Exports
Chapter 03 - Developing Districts as Export Hubs
Chapter 04 - Duty Exemption Remission Schemes
Chapter 05 - Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Scheme
Chapter 06 - Export Oriented Units (EOUs), Electronics Hardware Technology Parks (EHTPs), Software Technology Parks (STPs) and Bio-Technology Parks (BTPs)
Chapter 07 - Deemed Exports
Chapter 08 - Quality Complaints and Trade Disputes
Chapter 09 - Promoting Cross Border Trade in Digital Economy
Chapter 10 - Scomet: Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies
Chapter 11 - Definitions
Newsletters
Latest News
Latest Newsletter
Archives
Directory
Exporters
Service Providers
Logistics
Trade Leads
Submit New lead
Buy Leads
Sell Leads
Indian Mission Login
Market News
We have been able to protect India’s interests at WTO: Piyush Goyal.
Mar 04, 2024
Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has termed as 'good' the outcome of the WTO’s 13th ministerial conference even though it ended without a decision on India’s key interests of agriculture and fisheries. Goyal said he was going back 'fully satisfied' as the objectives with which he came to Abu Dhabi were largely met. Edited excerpts of an interview with ET:
Are you satisfied with the outcome?
It is a good outcome and we are completely satisfied. Progress was made on several contentious issues and India continues to retain full policy space for the benefit of our farmers and fishermen. We have been able to protect India’s interests.
What were the problematic issues in agriculture and fisheries?
There were no problematic issues in agriculture as we have a peace clause on public stockholding and our procurement of grains for distribution to the poor continues uninterrupted and without hindrance.
On fisheries, we found several ambiguities on the proposals that were on the table, more particularly some of the subsidies that certain countries give were sought to be excluded, definitions were not satisfactory and several areas where deeper consultations and greater degree of flexibility is required to ensure a fair and balanced agreement were not possible in such a short period of time. By and large the objectives with which we had come to Abu Dhabi are largely met and we go back fully satisfied.
Are there any concerns on the ecommerce moratorium getting extended?
We are not necessarily opposed to it fully. We were seeking that they should have discussed in the intervening period between MC12 and MC13 the scope of ecommerce moratorium, areas to be covered and excluded, and study its impact on different economies.
Since the process has not yet been completed, we believe that it is in the best interest that we continue this ecommerce moratorium and ensure that if at all it is found to be necessary, there will be discussions at Geneva to see if there are any areas particularly which need to be covered under the moratorium, otherwise as the decision stands, it will expire at the end of two years or the next ministerial, whichever is earlier.
With the world getting fragmented, is the WTO relevant?
I think it is. The WTO is an important organisation. It does carry the weight of 166 countries and creates equitable rules of trade and gives an opportunity to every country to raise areas of their interests or concerns. Of course, it can work much better and deliver much more.
Is it time for India to have more offensive interests?
As of now, we do not have any offensive interest per se. Our largest interest was to protect our farmers and our fishermen, both of which we are strongly doing, and that is our offensive interest, which we are actively pursuing. We have always stood for least developed countries and developing countries.
Some people have lost interest in the WTO because of the non-functional dispute settlement body…
It is important to get the appellate body back so that the disputes can be escalated to the WTO for resolution. Sadly, without an appellate body, no dispute can be taken to its completion and to that extent people do feel now it is not worth the while to have. The progress has been relatively slow and certain countries are not yet ready to accept the two-tier dispute settlement mechanism that is the hallmark of the WTO.
With India supporting a joint statement initiative on domestic services, does it mean we are gradually shifting our stance on JSIs?
We continue to believe that JSIs are not part of the WTO process and we do not recognise them. This hasn’t come in through the JSI process. It has come in through countries voluntarily deciding whether to join or not, and that’s part of the process approved in WTO.
Non-trade issues have been making their way into the WTO and it doesn’t seem to stop…
We have been successful in making sure that non-trade issues aren't brought into the WTO. For example, an effort was made to begin investment facilitation. Since investment is not part of the WTO, we did not allow it to come in. Similarly, an effort was made to bring industrial policy discussions, again an area that India believes is not a part of the original Marrakesh framework. India has successfully made sure that no non-trade issue is brought before the WTO.
India also tried to reduce the cost of cross-border remittances in MC13. How will we take it forward?
That was India's offer to the world. A large number of countries, particularly less developed and developing countries, are required to use channels for remittances, which makes it extremely expensive. I am given to understand that remittances on an average can cost 4-9% of the transaction value, and India has developed the UPI and a very robust fintech system, which can help bring this down to less than one-eighth or one-fifth of the current amount.
economictimes.indiatimes.com
Archive