During the Ninth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) held in Bali, Indonesia in December 2013, WTO members, including India, agreed on a Bali Package comprising an agreement on Trade Facilitation and issues relating to agriculture and development.

As per the Ministerial Decision on the Trade Facilitation Agreement, a Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation was established in the WTO to perform various functions necessary to bring the Agreement into force, which includes the drawing up of a Protocol of Amendment to make the Trade Facilitation Agreement a part of the WTO Agreement. The Ministerial Decision further stated that the General Council shall meet no later than 31 July 2014 to, inter alia, adopt the Protocol drawn up by the Preparatory Committee, and to open the Protocol for acceptance until 31 July 2015.

However, following the Bali Ministerial meeting, while there was progress on the Trade Facilitation Agreement, other decisions including one on public stockholding for food security purposes and other development issues were sidelined. India, therefore, took the stand that till there is an assurance of commitment to find a permanent solution on public stockholding and on all other Bali deliverables, including those for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), it would be difficult to join the consensus on the Protocol of Amendment for the Trade Facilitation Agreement. India has followed this up with suggestions on the procedure to be followed in order to ensure time-bound delivery of an outcome on public stockholding for food security and has also urged that a similar approach be adopted on all other elements of the Bali Package.

The stand taken by India is aimed at achieving a permanent solution on the issue of public stockholding for food security purposes so that the country’s efforts to ensure food security remain consistent with its international obligations.

The information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

Trade Facilitation Agreement acceptance linked to securing a permanent solution on public stockholding and Bali deliverables. India withheld consensus on accepting the Protocol incorporating the Trade Facilitation Agreement pending assurance of a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security and time bound deliverables for development issues, urging procedural safeguards from the Preparatory Committee to ensure timely delivery of those outcomes so that domestic food security measures align with international obligations.