In an attempt to pressurise developed countries to cut their industrial tariffs, a core group of nine countries under the aegis of India and South Africa has been formed. The group will ‘confront the challenges being posed in Non-Agricultural Market Access negotiations’ (NAMA) in WTO. The G-20 and the G-33 nations have already opposed further negotiations in the agriculture sector unless subsidies in the developed world are reduced substantially and eventually eliminated. With the new group’s formation, analysts say progress is unlikely on both agriculture and NAMA — the two most crucial components of this ministerial meeting. Only an EU and US climbdown will alter things, as they stand now.In a letter to the chairman of the Hong Kong Ministerial, these countries took exception that the recent submissions made by developing countries on NAMA-related issues have not been reflected in the NAMA Chairman’s progress report or in the Draft text of the HK meet. The letter states: “Developing countries cannot be expected to pay for the much needed reforms in the agriculture sectors of developed countries. The disproportionate demands presently being made of developing countries would lead to an imbalanced outcome resulting in the exacerbation of the current difference in the treatment of agricultural and non-agricultural products. This is unacceptable.”Thee group has reiterated that unless the principles espoused by them are not fully respected, the NAMA negotiations won’t move forward.
