Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 5 • Number 7 • 15th April 2005
Protect Crops Vital to Food Security, Oxfam Says
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Rich WTO Member countries are threatening the livelihoods of poor farmers in developing countries by walking out on a promise to exempt vital food crops from tariff cuts, according to a new report by international charity Oxfam. The report, entitled “Kicking down the door”, calls for crops vital for food security and livelihoods in developing countries, commonly referred to as “special products” in WTO parlance, to be fully exempt from tariff reduction in ongoing WTO negotiations. Oxfam notes that the World Bank and (IMF) have posed a threat to food security since the 1980s because of loan conditionalities requiring agricultural liberalisation. More recently, the WTO has become “the new battleground”, putting pressure on developing countries to reduce their tariffs on imports, the report concludes. A proposed ‘Harbinson’ tariff-reduction formula would force developing countries to slash rice tariffs, they point out, which would add to the problems caused by tonnes of US rice which they say has been dumped on world markets after being highly subsidised. The non-governmental organisation also backed calls for the establishment of a ’special safeguard mechanism’ for developing countries to invoke in the case of harmful import surges.
The full report is available here.
“Two-pronged trade attack will destroy poor farmers,” OXFAM PRESS RELEASE, 11 April 2005; “Oxfam asks India to protect farmers from WTO proposals,” THE HINDU, 11 April 2005; “Protection urged for poor nations’ farmers,” THE FINANCIAL TIMES, 10 April 2005.
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