Negociaciones sobre Agricultura en la CM13 de la Organización Mundial del Comercio

This briefing analyzes the agricultural negotiations for the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), focusing on food security, domestic support, and the specific needs of Least Developed Countries (LDCs). It argues that success depends on moving beyond non-binding declarations toward binding commitments to regulate food and agricultural trade.

• Food security is the central focus for most WTO members heading into MC13, though they disagree on the methods to achieve it. Some prioritize public stockholding, the special safeguard mechanism, domestic support, and cotton, while others emphasize transparency, export restrictions, or market access to increase food availability and affordability.
• There is a proposal to create an exemption from export prohibitions or restrictions for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to ensure they can import food for domestic consumption. This would address the high exposure of LDCs to such restrictions; for instance, the percentage of imported calories affected by import restrictions for LDCs was 29.6% 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 non-basmati rice export prohibition (imposed in July 2023) for several countries. These include Nepal, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Seychelles, as well as Comoros, Madagascar, Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, and Kenya as of December 2023.
• WTO members are divided on whether public stockholding should be treated as a separate issue or as a form of trade-distorting domestic support. Developing countries like India and China, and groups such as the G33 and the African Group, argue it should be addressed on its own merits. Conversely, the Cairns Group, the US, and the EU view public stockholding at administered prices as trade-distorting domestic support that should be limited and reduced.
• Developing countries, including India, China, and the African Group, seek to eliminate the aggregate measure of rights that allows 32 WTO members to provide significant trade-distorting support. Additionally, the African Group, Pakistan, and the C4 cotton producers from West and Central Africa want to end subsidies under the 'green box,' specifically those in paragraphs 5 to 13, which they claim harm producers in developing countries.
• Some developing countries want to update the methodology for calculating market price support, arguing that the current reference prices (fixed from 1986 to 1988) are outdated. While some members agree this is technically reasonable, others fear it would allow members to grant larger amounts of trade-distorting aid.
• The document warns that non-binding declarations, such as the food security declaration from MC12, are insufficient to change behavior. Despite that declaration, a WTO report found that 75 export restrictions on food, feed, and fertilizers remained in effect globally as of mid-October 2023, with the rate of new restrictions increasing since 2020 due to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

APA

Calvo, F. (n.d.). Negociaciones sobre Agricultura en la CM13 de la Organización Mundial del Comercio. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/es/node/17941

Chicago

Calvo, Facundo. Negociaciones sobre Agricultura en la CM13 de la Organización Mundial del Comercio. International Institute for Sustainable Development, n.d. https://www.iisd.org/es/node/17941.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Calvo |first1=Facundo |title=Negociaciones sobre Agricultura en la CM13 de la Organización Mundial del Comercio |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |url=https://www.iisd.org/es/node/17941 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{calvondnegociaciones, author = {Calvo, Facundo}, title = {{Negociaciones sobre Agricultura en la CM13 de la Organización Mundial del Comercio}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/es/node/17941}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }