By Faridat Salifu
World Trade Organization (WTO) members have exchanged two new negotiating submissions on food and agriculture as efforts intensify to reach a compromise ahead of the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, scheduled for March.
The submissions, presented by Indonesia and the African Group, were discussed during a Committee on Agriculture in Special Session meeting on 30 January, alongside proposals circulated in December.
Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussain of Pakistan, Chair of the agriculture negotiating body, emphasised the urgency of accelerating progress to produce a workable draft text for ministers to consider at MC14.
While no agreement was reached, members expressed a shared desire to deliver a text that could form the basis for meaningful ministerial deliberations later in March.
Indonesia’s submission proposed a draft ministerial decision aimed at strengthening food security and resilience within the multilateral trading system, reaffirming the importance of special and differential treatment for developing countries and outlining a roadmap for post-MC14 negotiations on key agricultural issues.
The African Group’s submission sought to identify areas of possible convergence by incorporating elements from other members’ proposals, outlining specific directions on unresolved issues in the agriculture talks to contribute to a potential compromise text.
Discussions also addressed public stockholding programmes for food security and a special safeguard mechanism for developing economies to respond to sudden import surges or price declines, topics that remain central to many developing members’ concerns.
Initial reactions from delegations indicated that the submissions had been referred to capitals for further consideration, with many stressing the need for a results-oriented outcome at MC14.
Some members supported a declaration outlining core principles on trade, agriculture, and food security, while others cautioned against excessive specificity given persistent divergences at the technical level.
The Chair urged members to continue constructive engagement to narrow differences and build consensus, reiterating his readiness to facilitate dialogue where needed.
He noted that progress ultimately depends on members’ willingness to compromise and indicated that the next Committee on Agriculture in Special Session meeting is provisionally scheduled for 27 February.