Les négociations de l'Organisation mondiale du commerce sur l'agriculture à la CM13

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development analyzes the agricultural negotiation priorities for the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It emphasizes that while food security is a central goal, success depends on moving beyond non-binding declarations toward binding commitments, particularly regarding export restrictions for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), domestic support, and public stockholding.

• There is a broad consensus among WTO members that food security should be the central objective of agricultural negotiations at MC13, though they disagree on the methods to achieve it. Proposed approaches include focusing on public stocks, the special safeguard mechanism, internal support, cotton, transparency, export restriction disciplines, or market access.
• A proposed solution to benefit Least Developed Countries (LDCsC) is an exemption from export prohibitions or restrictions, ensuring WTO members do not restrict exports when LDCs purchase food for domestic consumption. This would address the high vulnerability of LDCs, who saw 29.6% of imported calories affected by export restrictions during the 2008 recession, 18.2% during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 26.3% in the early months of the war in Ukraine.
• India has already implemented ad hoc exemptions from its July 2023 non-basmati rice export prohibition for several countries. The initial list of seven exempt countries included Nepal, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the Seychelles; in December 2023, Comoros, Madagascar, Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, and Kenya were also added.
• There is a significant divide regarding public stockholding. Developing countries like India and China, along with the G-33 and the African Group, argue that public stocks should be treated as a standalone issue. Conversely, the Cairns Group, the US, and the EU believe public stocks at administered prices should be treated as a form of trade-distorting domestic support subject to capping and reduction.
• Developing countries, including India, China, and the African Group, prioritize the removal of aggregate support entitlements that allow 32 WTO members to provide substantial trade-distorting support. Additionally, the African Group, Pakistan, and the C-4 cotton producers seek reductions in 'green box' subsidies, specifically paragraphs 5 to 13, which they claim distort global trade and lower prices for developing country producers.
• Some developing countries seek to update the calculation method for market price support, arguing that the current reference price from 1986-1988 is outdated and prevents them from supporting farmers. However, other members fear this update would make it easier for countries to grant larger amounts of trade-distorting support.
• The author warns that MC13 risks producing only a non-binding declaration similar to MC12, which failed to stop export restrictions. As of October 2023, a WTO monitoring report identified 75 export restrictions on food, animal feed, and fertilizers, noting an acceleration in such measures since 2020 due to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

APA

Calvo, F. (n.d.). Les négociations de l'Organisation mondiale du commerce sur l'agriculture à la CM13. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/17941

Chicago

Calvo, Facundo. Les négociations de l'Organisation mondiale du commerce sur l'agriculture à la CM13. International Institute for Sustainable Development, n.d. https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/17941.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Calvo |first1=Facundo |title=Les négociations de l'Organisation mondiale du commerce sur l'agriculture à la CM13 |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |url=https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/17941 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{calvondles, author = {Calvo, Facundo}, title = {{Les négociations de l'Organisation mondiale du commerce sur l'agriculture à la CM13}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/17941}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }