In a sharp warning, New Delhi based centre for WTO studies said that the revised draft modalities for agriculture under the WTO Doha round negotiations favour the developed countries.

“The developed countries will be able to delay opening their markets and would be able to control the prices of agricultural goods through carve outs,” said the report titled “Doha Development Agenda for Developed Nations: Carve-Outs in Recent Agriculture Negotiations” compiled by the centre for WTO studies.

The WTO says carve-out is an explicit commitment by WTO governments to allow publicly funded services in core areas of their responsibility.
It further added the developed countries are using it as a tool to delay the opening of their markets and control the prices of agricultural goods - a move primarily objected to by the developing countries.

According to the 43 page report, “If one looks at the carve-outs and their quantitative effects; it comes out very clearly that the proposals are in favour of developed countries.”

The paper points out that developed nations such as the USA, EU nations, Canada, Switzerland, Norway and Japan are seeking ‘carve-outs’ in the recent negotiations under Doha round with respect to commitments in domestic support and market access.

Efforts are on to conclude the deal in 2011, which started in Doha in late 2001. The persistent hurdle has been the arrangements in the agriculture sector, with most of the developed countries not on the same page with developing countries.

Read the report