Doha Talks To Be Resumed

The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) David Walker, chairman of the negotiating group on agriculture, has announced that full-scale agriculture negotiations, which will conclude the Doha global trade deal, will return to a “multilateral process, reflecting members’ desire to see the talks pick up momentum.” The talks are hoped to be concluded before the summer break in August.

Talks have been stagnant since key trade ministers failed to achieve an agreement in July 2008 over agriculture. India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma had said that New Delhi is now ready for “give and take” without being “frozen in pre-negotiating position” in the interest of global trade.

Conflicts between the developing and developed countries, India and the U.S., have had serious differences over the level of protection that should be provided to subsistent farmers from the opening of global agricultural markets.