RESTRICTED  
  
WT/ACC/ SPEC/COM/3/Rev. 3 
6 December  2023 
(23-8288) Page: 1/12 
Working Party on the Accession  of  
the Union of the Comoros  Original:  French  
 
  
ACCESSION OF THE UNION OF THE COMOROS  
INFORMATION ON DOMESTIC SUPPORT AND EXPORT  
SUBSIDIES IN AGRICULTURE  
Revision  
The following submission , dated 5 December  2023, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of the Union of the Comoro s. 
 
_______________  
 
 
  WT/ACC/ SPEC/COM/3/Rev. 3 
 
- 2 - 
 
  Explanatory Notes : Supporting Tables DS:1 to DS:9 and  ES:1 – Domestic Support  
and Export Subsidies in the Agricultural Sector  
The population of the Union of the Comoros is estimated at 821,625 inhabitants ( 2021), 
three  quarters of whom live in rural areas . Agriculture accounts for approximately 49 % of GDP and  
80% of employment . Three unprocessed and semi -processed agricultural pr oducts – vanilla, cloves 
and ylang -ylang oil  – generate over  90% of export earnings . 
 
The representative reference period covers the last three years  (2020, 2021 and 2022). 
 
A number of measures benefit from technical and financial aid provided by donor s and the aid 
component has been excluded from the figures quoted in the Supporting Tables . 
 
As agricultural production is insufficient, the sector  has received support through , inter alia, the 
restoration  of cisterns, rainwater catchment a nd irrigati on systems , farm mechanization  and the 
provision of  inputs (200 tonnes of chemica l fertilizers, 10,000  kg of market -garden seeds  and 
200 tonnes of feed in 2020)1, which has boosted  agricultural production  (garden produce, food crops 
and others)  and subsequently provided  farmers threatened by phytosanitary issues such as crop 
pests (banana weevils, fruit flies, coconut and cassava whiteflies  and aphids)  with substantial 
earnings . Such support serves both environmental and agriculture purposes . 
 
Salari es form the bulk of the Government's general services expenditure for domestic support.  
 
DS Tables  
 
The figures quoted in Supporting  Table DS:1 for this category are those expenditures tracked by the 
Ministry of Production, Environment, Energy, Industry an d Handicrafts . 
 
It should also be noted that , following a difficult period  over two consecutive years ( 2019-2020), 
marked by natural disasters (Cyclone Kenneth),  in 2020 the Government provided support to vanilla 
producers  in the form of  payments made by way of government financial participation in crop 
insurance schemes for relief from natural disasters  under the aid programme for farmers who have 
lost income, a KMF 300 million state subsidy.  This fund  was intended to  support farmers, producers 
and food m anufacturers  to compensate them for the losses arising from natural disasters  (Annex 2, 
paragraph  8, to the WTO Agreement on Agriculture) . 
 
Moreover, in accordance with  Joint Order No.  01 – 004/VP -MPEEIA/CAB  and No.  017-004/MFB/CAB  
on total exemption from taxes and customs duties on agricultural and fishing inputs and 
Law No. 07 – 0010/AU on the Investment Code, the sector enjoys exemptions which are lost 
revenues for the Government  in the area of public resources (customs revenue) . It should be noted 
that the country does not yet have a system in place for recording reliable statistical data  (Supporting  
Table  DS:2) . 
 
Export Subsides  
The Union of the Comoros does not provide export subsidies.  
 
 
1 Central Bank of Comoros Report, 20 21.   
  WT/ACC/SPEC/COM/3/Rev. 3 
 
- 3 - Supporting Table DS:1  
DOMESTIC SUPPORT: UNION OF THE COMOROS  
REPORTING PERIOD: 2020 - 2021 - 2022 
Measures exempt from the reduction commitment  - "Green Box " 
Measure type  Name and description of 
measure with reference to 
criteria in Annex 2 of the 
Agreement on Agriculture  Monetary value of measure  
in year in question  
(KMF) Data sources  
2020 2021 2022 Average  
2020-2022 
1 2 3 4 5 6=(3+4+5)  /3 4 
General Services  Research on combating the 
cassava mosaic virus  0 0 0 0 Ministry of Production  
 Research on improved 
varieties of maize  0 0 0 0 Idem 
 Introduction of semen to 
genetically improve local 
livestock (dairy cattle): 2 ,000 
doses  0 0 0 0 Idem 
 Training on diagnosing viruses 
on plants  0 0 0 0 Idem 
 Training on new techniques in 
agricultural production  0 0 0 0 Idem 
 Korea -Africa Food and 
Agriculture Cooperation 
Initiative (chick production)  0 0 0 0 Idem 
 Sanitary and phytosanitary 
capacity building  110,150,000 226,820,000  112,270,000  149,746,667  Idem  
Public stockholding for food security purposes  None     Idem  
Domestic food aid  None     Idem 
Decoupled income support  Support for indebted farmers  0 500,000,000  0 166,670,000  Idem 
Income insurance and income safety -net 
programmes  None     Idem 
Payments for relief from natural disasters  Compensation for vanilla  
producers  300,000,000  0 0 100,000,000  Idem 
Structural adjustment assistance provided 
through producer retirement programmes  None     Idem 
Structural adjustment assistance provided 
through resource retirement programmes  None     Idem 
Structural adjustment assistance provided 
through investment aids  None     Idem 
NB: The monetary value zero  (0) under "General Services " signifies that there is no contribution from the Government .    
  WT/ACC/SPEC/COM/3/Rev. 3 
 
- 4 - Supporting Table  DS:2  
DOMESTIC SUPPORT: UNION OF THE COMOROS  
REPORTING PERIOD: 2020 - 2021 - 2022 
Measures exempt from the reduction commitment  – Special and Differential Treatment  – "Development Programmes " 
Measure type  Name and description of measure with reference to criteria  Monetary value of measure in year in 
question (KMF) Data 
sources  
(a) Investment subsidies generally 
available to agriculture . Farming tools  2020  2021  2022  
Ministry of 
Finance  0 0 0 
(b) Input subsidies generally available to 
low-income or resource -poor producers .  Feed, seeds, fertilizer, pesticides2 138,355,804.09  251,397,746.09  163,935,433.09  
 
  
 
2 Import duty exemption on agricultural inputs to support  small agricultural producers with limited production in the rural areas .   
  WT/ACC/SPEC/COM/3/Rev. 3 
 
- 5 - Supporting Table DS:3  
DOMESTIC SUPPORT: UNION OF THE COMOROS  
REPORTING PERIOD: 2020 - 2021 - 2022 
Measures exempt from the reduction commitment  – Direct Payments under Production -Limiting  
Programmes  – "Exempt Direct Payments " 
Measure type  Name and description of measure with reference to  criteria  
in Article 6:5 of t he Agreement on Agriculture  Monetary value of 
measure in year in 
question  Data sources  
1 2 3 4 
NONE  
   
  WT/ACC/SPEC/COM/3/Rev. 3 
 
- 6 - Supporting Table  DS:4  
DOMESTIC SUPPORT: UNION OF THE COMOROS  
REPORTING PERIOD: 2020 - 2021 - 2022 
Calculation of the Total Aggregate Measurement of Support  
Description of basic products  
(including 
non-product -specific AMS)  Product -specific AMS  (from 
Supporting Tables DS:5 to 
DS:7 below ) Product -specific measurements of support  
(from  Supporting Table  DS:8 below ) Current total AMS (aggreg ate) 
1 2 3 4 
NONE   
  WT/ACC/SPEC/COM/3/Rev. 3 
 
- 7 - Supporting Table  DS:5  
DOMESTIC SUPPORT: UNION OF THE COMOROS  
REPORTING PERIOD: 2020 - 2021 - 2022 
Product -Specific Aggregate Measurements of Support : Market Price Support  
Description of 
basic products  Calendar / 
marketing year  
beginning ... Measure 
type(s) Applied 
administered 
price  External 
reference price  Eligible 
production  Associated 
fees/levies  Total market 
price support  Data sources  
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 = 
((4-5*6)-7) 9 
NONE  
 
   
  WT/ACC/SPEC/COM/3/Rev. 3 
 
- 8 - Supporting Table  DS:6  
DOMESTIC SUPPORT: UNION OF THE COMOROS  
REPORTING PERIOD: 2020 - 2021 - 2022 
Product -Specific Aggregate Measurements of Support : Non-Exempt Direct Payments  
Description 
of basic 
product s Calendar/  
marketing year 
beginning...  Measure 
type(s)  Applied 
administered 
price  External  
reference 
price  Eligible 
production  Total 
price -related 
direct 
payments  Other 
non-exempt 
direct 
payments  Associated 
fees/levies  Total direct 
payments  Data 
sources  
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 = 
((4-5)*6)  8 9 10 = 
(7+8-9) 11 
NONE 
 
   
  WT/ACC/SPEC/COM/3/Rev. 3 
 
- 9 - Supporting Table  DS:7  
DOMESTIC SUPPORT: UNION OF THE COMOROS  
REPORTING PERIOD: 2020 - 2021 - 2022 
Product -Specific Aggregate Measurements of Support : Other Product -Specific Support and Total Product -Specific AMS  
Description 
of basic 
product s Calendar/  
marketing year 
beginning.. . Measures 
type(s)  Other 
product -spe
cific 
budgetary 
outlays  Other 
product -spec
ific support 
(include 
calculation 
details)  Associated 
fees/levies  Total other 
product -spe
cific 
support  Market price 
support  
(Supporting 
Table  DS:5)  Non-exempt 
direct 
payments  
(Supporting 
Table  DS:6)  Total AMS  Data 
sources  
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 = 
(4+5-6) 8 9 10 = 
(7+8+9)  11 
NONE 
 
   
  WT/ACC/SPEC/COM/3/Rev. 3 
 
- 10 - Supporting Table  DS:8  
DOMESTIC SUPPORT: UNION OF THE COMOROS  
REPORTING PERIOD: 2020 - 2021 - 2022 
Product -Specific Equivalent Measurements of Support  
Description 
of basic 
products  Calendar/  
marketing year 
beginning...  Measure 
type(s)  Applied 
administered 
price  Production 
eligible to 
receive the 
applied 
administered 
price  Market 
price 
support 
budgetary 
outlays  Equivalent 
measurement 
of support  
(include 
calculation 
details ) Non-exempt 
direct 
payments  Other 
product -specific 
support  Associated 
fees/levies  Total 
monetary 
value of 
equivalent 
commitment  Data 
sources  
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 = 
(7+8+9 -10) 12 
NONE 
 
   
  WT/ACC/SPEC/COM/3/Rev. 3 
 
- 11 - Supporting Table  DS:9  
DOMESTIC SUPPORT: UNION OF THE COMOROS  
REPORTING PERIOD: 2020 - 2021 - 2022 
Non-Product -Specific AMS  
Measure type(s)  Calendar/marketing  
year Non-product -specific 
budgetary outlays  Other 
non-product -specific 
support  (include 
calculation details ) Associated fees/levies  Total 
non-product -speci
fic support  Data sources  
1 2 3 4 5 6 = (3+4 -5) 7 
NONE 
 
    
  WT/ACC/SPEC/COM/3/Rev. 3 
 
- 12 - Supporting Table  ES:1 
DOMESTIC SUPPORT: UNION OF THE COMOROS  
REPORTING PERIOD: 2020 - 2021 - 2022 
Export Subsidies : Outlay and Quantity  
Description of 
products  Direct export 
subsidies  Sales of stocks  Producer -financ
ed subsidies  Cost-reduction 
measures  Internal 
transport 
subsidies  Total 
product -specific 
export subsidies  Quantity of 
subsidized exports  Data source  
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 
NONE 
 
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