. /. RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/ACC/SPEC/TON/3 
19 April 2001 
 (01-1982) 
Working Party on the 
Accession of Tonga Original:   English 
 
 
  
ACCESSION OF TONGA  
 
Domestic Support and Export Subsidies in Agriculture
 
 
  For the purposes of the accession of the Governme nt of the Kingdom of Tonga to the WTO, 
the Government has submitted the following inform ation on domestic support and export subsidies in 
agriculture. 
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  WT/ACC/SPEC/TON/3 
Page 2 KINGDOM OF TONGA 
 
EXPLANATORY NOTES FOR THE SUPPORTING TABLES DS:1 - 9 
 
 
1. Domestic Support 
 
(a) The Kingdom of Tonga is a small, isolated , and vulnerable island developing country. 
 
(b) The Government of Tonga does provide a number of general ser vice measures mainly through the Ministry of Agriculture and Fo restry.  A 
number of these measures benefit from techni cal and financial assistance provided by donor countries and agencies.  The figures  provided in the 
supporting tables include the external assistance provided through the Government system. 
 
(c) Salaries and wages make up the major component of Tonga’s expenditure on domestic support. 
 (d) Tonga’s tables (Supporting Table DS: 1 – 9) are attached.  They  show that Tonga only provided “green box” measures in the r epresentative 
period of 1996/97 – 1998/99.  The average yearly monetary value of these measures was TOP$2.05 m illion or about US$ 1.02 millio n.  Total 
average yearly value of agricultural production in the same period was TOP$41.7 million or about US$ 21.06 million. 
 
(e) The values of the measures were extr acted from the Government’s Program Budge t Estimates for 1998/99, 1990/00 and 2000/01, which show 
actual
 expenditures  incurred by government during 1996/97, 1997/98 and 1998/99, respectively. 
 
2. Export Subsidies 
  The Kingdom of Tonga does not and has not provided any form of  export subsidy to agriculture during the representative period.     WT/ACC/SPEC/TON/3
 Page 3Supporting Table DS:1 
 
Domestic Support  
Reporting Period 1996/97 – 1998/99  
Measures exempt from the re duction commitment – "Green Box" 
 
Measure type Name and description of measure with reference to 
criteria in Annex 2 Monetary value of measure 
in year in question Data sources 
1 2 3 4 
Research General research including research programmes 
relating to specific commodity/product, environment, and farming systems/land utilisation  Actual Expenditures extracted from the Program 
Budget Estimates of the Government of Tonga for the financial years 1998/99, 1999/00, and 2000/01. 
 1996/97  1997/98 
1998/99 
Average 1996/97 – 1998/99 TOP 590,465 
TOP 190,608 
TOP 314,068 
TOP 365,047  
Pest and Disease Control Quarantine and eradication, pest and disease control 
including the development of control measures 
1996/97 
1997/98 1998/99 
Average 1996/97 – 1998/99  
 
TOP 377,030 
TOP 209,925 TOP 210,030 
TOP 265,662  
Training Services Farmer training including the provision of farmer 
training facilities (centres) 1996/97 
1997/98 
1998/99 Average 1996/97 – 1998/99  
 
TOP 155,784 
TOP 153,143 
TOP 223,739 TOP 177,555  
Extension and Advisory Services Extension and advisory services including the transfer 
of information and results of government and aid-
funded research programmes 
1996/97 
1997/98 
1998/99 Average 1996/97 – 1998/99  
 
 
TOP 671,659 
TOP 569,162 
TOP 647,094 TOP 629,305  
Inspection Services Includes product inspection and resource monitoring 
and other control measures 
1996/97 
1997798 1998/99 
Average 1996/97 – 1998/99  
 
TOP 60,853 
TOP 62,862 TOP 36,758 
TOP 53,491   WT/ACC/SPEC/TON/3 
Page 4  
1 2 3 4 
Marketing and Promotion Includes provision of market facilities, market 
information dissemination and advice 
1996/97 1997/98 
1998/99 
Average 1996/97 – 1998/99  
 
TOP 270,630 TOP 625,817 
TOP 314,343 
TOP 403,597  
Infrastructural Services Includes agricultural roads, treatment facilities and 
other infrastructural facilities required for the 
facilitation of export 
1996/97 1997/98 
1998/99 
Average 1996/97 – 1998/99  
 
 
TOP 150,993 
TOP 20,385 
TOP 284,626 
TOP 152,001  
 Total value of agricultural production 
1996/97 1997/98 
1998/99 
Average 1996/97 – 1998/99  
TOP 36,682,000 TOP 40,570,000 
TOP 47,770,000 
TOP 41,674,000 Provided by the Government Statistics Department.   
   
   WT/ACC/SPEC/TON/3
 Page 5Supporting Tables DS: 2 - 9 
Domestic Support  
Reporting Period:  1996/97 – 1998/99  
  
Measure type Name and description of measure  Monetary value of measure  Data sources 
1 2 3 4 
Domestic Support Programme 
 Measures Exempt from Reduction Commitment – 
Special and Differential Treatment – Development 
Programmes: Supporting Table DS: 2 
1996/97 1997/98 
1998/99  
 
 
Nil Nil 
Nil Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 
Statistics Department and Ministry of 
Finance 
Measures exempt from Reduction Commitments – 
Direct Payments under production Limiting Programmes – Exempt Direct Payments: Supporting 
Table DS: 3 
1996/97 1997/98 
1998/99  
  
 
Nil Nil 
Nil  
Calculation of Total Aggregate Measurement of 
Support: Supporting Table DS: 4 1996/97 
1997/98 
1998/99  
 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil  
Product-Specific Aggregat e Measures of Support: 
Market Price Supporting Table DS: 5 1996/97 
1997/98 
1998/99  
 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil  
Product Specific Aggregate Measurement of Support: 
Non-Exempt Direct Payments: Support Table DS: 6 
1996/97 
1997/98 1998/99  
 
Nil 
Nil Nil  
Product-Specific A ggregate Measuremen t of Support: 
Other Product-Specific Support and Total Product-
Specific AMS: Supporting Table DS: 7 1996/97 
1997/98 
1998/99  
 
 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil   WT/ACC/SPEC/TON/3 
Page 6  
1 2 3 4 
Product Specific Equivalent Measurement of Support: 
Supporting Table DS: 8 
1996/97 1997/98 
1998/99  
 
Nil Nil 
Nil  
Non-Product-Specific AMS: Supporting Table DS: 9 
1996/97 
1997/98 
1998/99  
Nil 
Nil 
Nil    WT/ACC/SPEC/TON/3
 Page 7Supporting Table ES: 1 
 
Export Subsidies  
Reporting Period: 1996/97 – 1998/99  
Export Subsidies:  Outlay and Quantity 
 
Measure type Name and description of measure with 
reference to criteria in Annex 6:5 Monetary value of measure 
in year in question Data sources 
1 2 3 4 
Subsidies on Exports Tonga did not provide any export subsidies 
(either direct or indi rect) for agricultural 
produce or products in  the representative 
period Nil Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Ministry 
of Finance 
  WT/ACC/SPEC/TON/3 
Page 8 Part IV: Agricultural Products: Commitments Limiting Subsidization  
(Article 3 of the Agreement on Agriculture) 
 
Reporting Period: 1996/97 – 1998/99  
 
 
Section I – Domestic Support: Total AMS Commitments 
 
Base Total AMS Annual and Final Bound Commitment Levels Relevant Supporting Tables and Document Reference 
1 2 3 
Tonga has no programmes or policies that are subject to 
reduction commitments within the meaning of Article 6 
of the Agreement on Agriculture Nil Supporting Tables DS:1 – DS: 9 
 
 
 
Section II – Export Subsidies: Budgetary Ou tlay and Quantity Reduction Commitments 
Description of 
Product and Tariff 
at HS Six Digit 
Level Base Outlay Level Calendar/Other 
Year Applied Annual and Final 
Commitment Base Quantity Calendar/Other 
year Applied Annual and Final 
Commitment Relevant 
Supporting Tables 
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 
Nil Nil Nil Nil N il Nil Nil ES: 1 
 
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