WORLD TRADE G/L/211
24November 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-5208)
Committee onAgriculture
COMMITTEE ONAGRICULTURE: GENERAL COUNCIL OVERVIEW OF
WTO ACTIVITIES (1997)
Report bytheChairman
Thepresent report bytheChairman oftheCommittee onAgriculture, Ambassador Nestor
Osorio Londoño, issubmitted onhisownresponsibility asagreed bytheCommittee.
_______________
TheCommitteeonAgricultureheldfourregularmeetingsin1997:on13-14March,26-27June,
25-26 September and20-21 November (Secretariat summary reports ofthese meetings G/AG/R/10
to13refer).
Inaccordance withArticle 18.1oftheAgreement onAgriculture, theCommittee, ateachof
itsmeetings, reviewed progress intheimplementation ofcommitments negotiated under theUruguay
Round reform programme. Thisreview process wasundertaken onthebasisofnotifications submitted
byMembers intheareas ofmarket access, domestic support andexport subsidies andunder the
provisions oftheAgreement relating toexport prohibitions andrestrictions. In1997 theCommittee
reviewed 242notifications intheseareascompared with193in1996, withdomestic support andexport
subsidy notifications accounting formostoftheincrease. TheCommittee alsoaddressed awiderange
ofgeneral andspecific matters relevant totheimplementation ofcommitments thatwereraised under
theprovisions ofArticle 18.6oftheAgreement. Anumber ofthematters thusraised havebeenor
continue tobethesubject ofinformal orformal consultations.
Ingeneral, thenotification requirements established bytheCommittee forthepurpose of
reviewing implementation ofreduction andother scheduled commitments under theUruguay Round
reform programme arebeing satisfactorily complied withbymost Members. Theperformance for
notifications relating tocompliance withgeneral obligations under therulesondomestic support and
export subsidies isunsatisfactory. Theoverall position withrespect tonotification obligations under
Article 18.2andother relevant provisions oftheAgreement issummarized inAnnex Itothisreport.
AtitsMarch meeting theCommittee reviewed theWTO ListofNetFood-Importing Developing
Countries andBotswana andPakistan were included (G/AG/5/Rev.2 refers). Thefollow-up tothe
recommendations adopted bytheSingapore Ministerial Conference ontheimplementation, inrelation
toaction onfoodaidcommitments andconcessionality guidelines inthecontext oftheFood Aid
Convention, ofMarrakesh Ministerial Decision onthePossible Negative Effects oftheReform Process
onNetFood-Importing Developing Countries (paragraph 18ofG/L/125 andWT/MIN(96)/DEC,
paragraph 13,refer) hasbeentaken upattheCommittee 'sregular meetings. Thefollow-up tothe
Marrakesh Ministerial Decision asawhole wasmonitored bytheCommittee pursuant toArticle 16.2
oftheAgreement atitsNovember meeting.G/L/211
Page2
Under arrangements adopted attheMarch meeting oftheCommittee, theprocess ofanalysis
andexchange ofinformation ("the AIEprocess") agreed tobytheSingapore Ministerial Conference
(paragraph 12ofG/L/131 andWT/MIN(96)/DEC, paragraph 19refer) hasbeenundertaken through
informal open-ended meetings. IntheAIEprocess Members arediscussing topics intheareasofmarket
access, domestic support andexport subsidies, aswellasissues ofinterest todeveloping countries.
Some Members submitted informal papers onthese topics. Inaddition, anumber ofSecretariat
background notes, based oninformation anddatanotified byMembers, havebeenprovided inorder
tofacilitate thework oftheAIEprocess. These informal papers andbackground notes arelisted in
Annex IItothisreport. FourAIEmeetings wereheldduring 1997withfactual summary reports being
made totheCommittee oneachofthese meetings.
Thefollowing international intergovernmental organizations wereaccorded regular observer
statusintheCommittee:theFAO,theIMF,theInternationalGrainsCouncil,theOECD,theUNCTAD,
theUNWorld Food Programme andtheWorld Bank.
TheCommittee adopted thefollowing schedule fortheCommittee 'sregular meetings in1998:
19-20March,29-30Septemberand17-18November,plusanadditionalmeetingprovisionallyscheduled
for25-26 Junetocopewiththeexpanding workload oftheCommittee.G/L/211
Page3
Annex I
Regular notifications pertaining tothe1995 and1996 years made under theAgreement on
Agriculture
Table MA/DK/n1 Table MA/DK/n2 Table MA/DK/n5 Table DS/DK/n1/CL Table ES/DK/n1/CL Table ES/DK/n2
Tariff quota
administrationImports under
tariff quotasSpecial safeguard
/CN annualDomestic support Export subsidies Total exports
one/CNoff /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6 /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6 /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6 /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6 /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6
Angola NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Antigua and Barbuda NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Argentina NA NA NA NA NA X X X X X
Australia X X X X X X X X X X X
Bahrain NA NA NA NA NA X X NA NA
Bangladesh NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Barbados X X X NA NA
Belize NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Benin NA NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA NA
Bolivia NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Botswana NA NA NA X X X X X NA NA
Brazil X X X NA NA X X X X X
Brunei Darussalam NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Bulgaria NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Burkina Faso NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Burundi NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Cameroon NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Canada X X X X X X X X
Central African Rep/CO NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Chad NA NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA NA
Chile NA NA NA NA NA X X X X X X
Colombia X X X X X X X
Congo NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Congo/CM Democratic Rep/CO NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Costa Rica X
C/PEte d /CH Ivoire NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Cuba NA NA NA NA NA X X X X
Cyprus NA NA NA NA NA X X
Czech Republic X X X X X X X X X X X
Djibouti NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Dominica NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Dominican Republic NA NA NA NA NA X NA NA
Ecuador X NA NA X NA NA X NA NA
Egypt NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
El Salvador X X X X X NA NA
European Communities X X X X X X
Fiji NA NA NA NA NA NA X NA X NA NA
Gabon NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Gambia NA NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA NA
Ghana NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Grenada NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Guatemala X X X X NA NA
Guinea Bissau NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Guinea/CM Republic of NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NAG/L/211
Page4
Table MA/DK/n1 Table MA/DK/n2 Table MA/DK/n5 Table DS/DK/n1/CL Table ES/DK/n1/CL Table ES/DK/n2
Tariff quota
administrationImports under
tariff quotasSpecial safeguard
/CN annualDomestic support Export subsidies Total exports
one/CNoff /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6 /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6 /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6 /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6 /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6
Guyana NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Haiti NA NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA NA
Honduras NA NA NA NA NA X X X
Hong Kong/CM China NA NA NA NA NA X X X X NA NA
Hungary X X X X X
Iceland X X X X X X X X X
India NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Indonesia X X X X X X X X X
Israel X X X X
Jamaica NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Japan X X X X X X X X NA NA
Kenya NA NA NA NA NA X X X X NA NA
Korea X X X X X X X X X NA NA
Kuwait NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Lesotho NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Macau NA NA NA NA NA X X NA NA
Madagascar NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Malawi NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Malaysia X X X X X X X X X X X
Maldives NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Mali NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Malta NA NA NA NA NA X X NA NA
Mauritania NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Mauritius NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Mexico X X X X X
Mongolia NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Morocco X X X X X X X X NA NA
Mozambique NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Myanmar NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Namibia NA NA NA X X X X X NA NA
New Zealand X X X X X X X X X X X
Nicaragua X X X NA NA
Niger NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Nigeria NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Norway X X X X X X X X X X X
Pakistan NA NA NA NA NA X X X X X
Papua New Guinea NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Paraguay NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Panama NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Peru NA NA NA NA NA X NA NA
Philippines X X X X X X X X X X
Poland X X X X X X X X X X X
Qatar NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Romania X X X X X X X X
Rwanda NA NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA NA
Saint Kitts and Nevis NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Saint Lucia NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Saint Vincent /CG Grenadines NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Senegal NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Sierra Leone NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Singapore NA NA NA NA NA X X NA NAG/L/211
Page5
Table MA/DK/n1 Table MA/DK/n2 Table MA/DK/n5 Table DS/DK/n1/CL Table ES/DK/n1/CL Table ES/DK/n2
Tariff quota
administrationImports under
tariff quotasSpecial safeguard
/CN annualDomestic support Export subsidies Total exports
one/CNoff /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6 /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6 /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6 /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6 /n1/n9/n9/n5 /n1/n9/n9/n6
Slovak Republic X X X X X X X X X X X
Slovenia X X X NA NA X X X X NA NA
Solomon Islands NA NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA NA
South Africa X X X X X X X X X X X
Sri Lanka NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Suriname NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Swaziland NA NA NA NA NA
Switzerland /CN Liechtenstein X X X X X X X X X X X
Tanzania NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Thailand X X X X X X X X X X
Togo NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
Trinidad and Tobago NA NA NA NA NA X NA NA
Tunisia X X X X X X X X NA NA
Turkey NA NA NA NA NA X X X X X X
Uganda NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ NA NA
United Arab Emirates NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
United States X X X X X X X X
Uruguay NA NA NA X X X X X X X X
Venezuela X X X X X X X X X X X
Zambia NA NA NA NA NA /CINA/CJ X X NA NA
Zimbabwe NA NA NA NA NA
Total required to notify /n3/n6 /n3/n3 /n3/n5 /n7/n5 /n9/n6 /n3/n3
Notifications received /n3/n4 /n2/n7 /n3/n3 /n3/n8 /n4/n8 /n2/n6
Percentage
compliance
/CN Scheduled
commitments/n9/n4 /n8/n2 /n9/n4 /n8/n5 /n8/n7 /CN
/CN Rule related
commitments/CN /CN /CN /n2/n9 /n3/n8 /n7/n9
/CN Overall /n9/n4 /n8/n2 /n9/n4 /n5/n1 /n5/n0 /n7/n9
/n1/CO Agricultural notification requirements are set out in document G/CPAG/CP/n2 and G/CPAG/CP/n2/CPAdd/CO/n1/CO Reference should be
made to this document in order to establish applicability of the requirements and the relevant time limits for the
submission of notifications/CO
/n2/CO There are currently /n1/n3/n2 WTO Members/CO The list of WTO Members above/CM however/CM comprises only /n1/n1/n6
Members as the European Communities and its /n1/n5 member states provide one notification for each of the
respective requirements and Switzerland /CH s notifications are taken to cover Liechtenstein as these two Members
have a joint Schedule/CO
/n3/CO The symbols used in the table are as follows/DK
/CIa/CJ A blank indicates that this is a requirement applicable to the Member concerned/CM but that no notification
was received up to the cut/CNoff date /CI/n2/n4 November /n1/n9/n9/n7/CJ/CO Notifications may be submitted according to various
bases /CIcalendar/CM crop/CM fiscal years/CM etc/CO/CJ/CO The absence of a notification/CM therefore/CM does not necessarily indicate
an outstanding obligation as the notification may be due only later in /n1/n9/n9/n7/CO No percentage compliance isG/L/211
Page6
calculated in these cases/CO The time limit for the submission of one/CNoff MA/DK/n1 notifications has now passed for
all Members /CIincluding those which became Members only in /n1/n9/n9/n6/CJ and the percentage compliance is calculated
for this requirement/CO
/CIb/CJ /CCX/CC denotes that a notification has been received in the WTO/CO No assessment of the completeness or the
quality of the notification with respect to requirements is made or implied/CO
/CIc/CJ /CCNA/CC indicates that the requirement was not applicable for this WTO Member during the period covered
either because no relevant measures are in place /CIe/COg/CO tariff quotas/CJ or because WTO membership did not take
place until /n1/n9/n9/n6 or /n1/n9/n9/n7 hence there were no notification requirements pertaining to /n1/n9/n9/n5 or /n1/n9/n9/n6/CO For
Table DS/DK/n1/CM the least/CNdeveloped country Members may notify at the end of every second year /CIindicated by the
symbol /CC/CINA/CJ/CC/CJ and such Members are excluded from the total number required to notify/COG/L/211
Page7
Annex II
A. Informal papers submitted byMembers:
AIE/1: byAustralia onAdministration ofTariff Quotas -13May1997
AIE/2: bytheUnited States onCircumvention ofExport Subsidy Commitments -
16May1997
AIE/3: bytheUnited States onDataSupplied Through Notifications -16May1997
AIE/4: byAustralia on"Green Box" Domestic Support -16May1997
AIE/5: byNewZealand onAdministration ofTariff Quotas -12August 1997
AIE/6: byPakistan, PeruandtheDominican Republic onIssues ofInterest to
Developing Countries -19September 1997
AIE/7: bytheUnited States onAdministration ofTariff-Rate Quotas -22October 1997
AIE/8: byUruguay onImplementation ofTariff Commitments -24October 1997
AIE/9: byAustralia onTariff Quota Administration: First-Come, First-Served (FCFS)
-29October 1997
AIE/10: bytheUnited States onArticle 6.5: Direct Payments Under Production-
Limiting Programs -31October 1997
AIE/11: bytheUnited States onState Trading Enterprises (Single Desk Buyers and
Single Desk Sellers) -31October 1997
B. Secretariat Background Papers:
AIE/S1: Tariff andOther Quotas -9September 1997
AIE/S2: Domestic Support -28October 1997
AIE/S3: Export Subsidies -3November 1997
AIE/S4: Tariff Quota Administration Methods andTariff Quota Fill-6November 1997