G/L/1421  
 
11 November  2021 
(21-8549) Page: 1/4 
    
 
REPORT (202 1) ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE  
REPORT BY THE CHAIRPERSON  
1.1.  The present report is being circulated by the Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture on 
his own responsibility. This report provides a summary of the activities of the Committee on 
Agriculture ("the Committee") during 20 21. 
1.2.  The Committee organized thr ee formal meetings in 202 1 on 29-30 March , 17-18 June, 
and 23-24 September1. Three informal meetings of the Committee were held respectively 
on 29 March, 17  June and 23 September. Ms. Maria Araceli Escandor of the Philippines chaired the 
Committee's March  and June meetings . In July 2021, t he Committee elected  Mr. Marcos da Rosa 
Uranga of Uruguay as the new Chairperson for  2021-2022. 
1.3.  In accordance with Article 18.1 of the Agreement on Agriculture ("the Agreement") , at each of 
its meetings , the Committee reviewed progress in the implementation of Members' commitments. 
This review process is undertaken based on notifications submitted by Members in the areas of 
market access, domestic support, export competition, expo rt prohibitions and restrictions as well as 
under the follow -up to the Ministerial Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects 
of the Reform Programme on Least developed and Net Food -Importing Developing 
Countries  (NFIDC  Decision ). Betwee n 1 January and  9 November 2021, 302 agriculture notifications 
were circulated.  
1.4.  In 202 1, Memb ers posed 2 66 questions in connection with 112 specific notifications during the 
Committee's review process.2 These questions were distributed as follows: 7 6% related to domestic 
support issues, 2 0% to market access, 3% to export competition, and the remaining 1 % related to 
export restrictions and prohibitions and in relation  to the NFIDC Decision. Specific concerns were 
also raised regarding outstanding notific ations that some Members had yet to submit to the 
Committee . 
1.5.  Members also raised a wide range of matters relevant to the implementation of commitments, 
independently of notifications, under Article 18.6 of the Agreement. A total of 1 54 questions on 
100 specific implementation matters (SIMs) were raised by 1 2 Members during 202 1. Out of these, 
53 SIMs were discussed for the first time in 202 1. The remaining matters were discussed on one or 
more occasions in previous years; 14 of these SIMs have been brought up in more than five 
CoA meetings where one SIM has been raised on 18 occasions attracting a total of 64 questions.   
1.6.  Since 2018, the Secretariat  has been monitoring the number of outstanding responses under 
the CoA review proces s.3 A gradual reduction in the number of outstanding responses has been 
observed since this exercise started. As of the September Committee meeting, 104 responses were 
pending for questions raised during  2013-2019 and 47 for questions raised in 2020. The successive 
Chairpersons cont inued to encourage Members to increase their efforts to submit the outstanding 
responses as a means to enhance the efficacy of the Committee's monitoring functions.  
 
1 The summary reports of these meetings are contained in documents G/AG/R/98, G/AG/R/99 , and 
G/AG/R/100 (to be issued). The September meeting of the Committee was reconvened on 9 November to take 
up the suspended agenda item relating to the review of the operation of the Bali TRQ Decision (please refer to 
paragraph 1.12 of this report).  
2 See G/AG/W/ 210, G/AG/W/ 212 and G/AG/W/ 213. 
3 The Secretariat circulated a list of outstanding responses in documents G/AG/W/204 /Rev.2 , 
G/AG/W/204 /Rev.3, and G/AG/W/204 /Rev.4 .  G/L/1421  
 
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  1.7.  At each meeting the Committee reviewed the status of Members' compliance with their 
notification obligations under the Agreement  based on the  Secretariat document summarizing the 
status of compliance with notification requirements.4 While a significant proportion of notifications 
are still outstanding (about 2 4% of all notifications from 1995 -2019), Members  are continui ng their  
efforts to bring their notification record up to date.  
1.8.  As was agreed at the special meeting of the Committ ee in June 2020, 'COVID -19 and 
Agriculture' remained a standing item on the agenda of all committee meetings in 2021. The 
discussions were organized based on Members' ad hoc  reports5 on their measures taken in the 
agricultural sector in response to the CO VID-19 pandemic as well as contributions by observer 
international organizations.6 At the request of the Committee, the Secretariat prepared and updated 
a compilation of Members' ad -hoc reports7 and developed a new webpage on COVID -19 agricultural 
measures as part of the WTO's overall trade monitoring exercise.8  
1.9.  In view of the 12th Ministerial Conference slated for the week of 29 November 2021, the 
November CoA meeting could not take place this  year. The two regular standing agenda items of 
the November CoA meeting, namely, the annual monitoring of the follow -up to the NFIDC  Decision 
and of Members' participation in the normal growth of world trade  in agricultural products 
(Article  18.5) would b e taken up at the first Committee meeting in 2022.  
1.10.  The Committee maintained a standing item on its agenda relating to implementation issues, 
both in the framework of its follow -up to the Decision by the Doha Ministerial Conference on 
Implementation -Related  Issues and Concerns9, as well as in the framework of issues and proposals 
referred to it by the General Council. No Member intervened under this agenda item in  2021. 
1.11.  The Committee also discussed follow -up to Ministerial outcomes, specifically related to (i)  the 
Understanding on Tariff Rate Quota Administration Provisions of Agricultural Products, as defined in 
Article 2 of the Agreement10; and (ii) the Nairobi Ministerial Decision on Export Competition11.  
1.12.  On the Bali TRQ Decision, the 2019 rev iew12 of the operation of the Decision extended the 
timeline to resolve the issue of the future operation of paragraph 4 of the underfill mechanism 
contained in Annex A to the Decision. The Committee continued its deliberations on the issue of 
paragraph 4 in order to reach a common agreement within the agreed deadline of end -2021.  This 
agenda item was suspended during the 23 -24 September meeting of the Committee. The meeting 
was reconvened on 9 November to take up that suspended agenda item. The Committee c onsidered 
the report13 by the Chairperson on this issue along with the draft decision on the future operation of 
paragraph 4 of the underfill mechanism , and agreed to forward the draft decision to the General 
Council for its consideration and subsequent tr ansmission to the Twelfth Ministerial 
Conference  (MC-12) for a decis ion, with the understanding that some Members would need 
additional time to consult with their capitals on the draft decision . The Chairperson's report14 was 
accordingly sent to the General Council on 11 November .  
1.13.  The follow -up to the Nairobi Ministerial Decision on Export Competition mainly consisted of 
the annual dedicated discussion on export competition  and the second triennial review of the 
Decision.15 The annual dedicated  discussion took place in the September 2021 meeting  based on 
 
4 G/AG/GEN/86/Rev.4 1, G/AG/GEN/86/Rev.4 2, and G/AG/GEN/86/Rev.4 3. 
5 Members' ad hoc  reports distributed in 2021: G/AG/GEN/163/Add.1, G/AG/GEN/180, 
G/AG/GEN/160/Add.1, G/AG/GEN/159/A dd.4, G/AG/GEN/166/Rev.1 , and G/AG/GEN/159/Add.5.  
6 Contributions by observer international organizations in 2021: G/AG/GEN/183, G/AG/GEN/181, 
G/AG/GEN/182, G/AG/GEN/184, G/AG/GEN/188, G/AG/GEN/189, G/AG/GEN/190 , and G/AG/GEN/191 . 
7 G/AG/W/209/Rev.1.  
8 https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/covid19_e/ag_trade_measures_e.htm . 
9 WT/MIN(01)/17, para. 2. 
10 WT/MIN(13)/39.  
11 WT/MIN(15)/45.  
12 G/AG/29 . 
13 G/AG/W/214 refers.  
14 G/AG/32  refers.  
15 See also the review of the provisions on international food aid contained in the Nairobi Decision on 
Export Competition  as mentioned in paragraph 1.9.  G/L/1421  
 
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  the Secretariat's background document16, which was prepared on the basis of  export subsidy 
notifications and on Members' responses to a questionnaire . The 2021 exercise wa s the first time all 
Members were expected to reply to the questionnaire following the expiry of the grace period 
foreseen in footnote 17 of the Nairobi Decisio n.17 During the September meeting, Members  
exchanged on specific measures in relation to the implementation of the Nairobi Decision.18 Members 
also had the possibility to raise questions in relation to export measures covered by the Nairobi 
Decision during  other Committee meetings in the year.  
1.14.  At the March 2021 meeting, t he Committee initiated the second triennial review of the Nairobi 
Export Competition Decision as per paragraph 5 of the Decision.  Members' main stated interest for 
this triennial review was to enhance transparency and to improve the existing monitoring and 
follow -up of the Decision . As several transparency -related issues are also being considered in  the 
ongoing export competition  negotiations , the Committee agreed to conclude the second tri ennial 
review after MC -12, at the March 2022 Committee meeting , in order to ensure complementarity in 
the review and the negotiations tracks.  
1.15.  Regarding the modification of the  scheduled export subsidy commitments pursuant to the 
Nairobi Decision, the latest situation as reported by the Chairperson at the September  2021 
Committee meeting was as follows: out of the 16 Members with export subsidy reduction 
commitments at the time of the Nairobi Decision, 1 2 Members had their schedule revised pursuant 
to the Decision, two other Members had submitted their revised draft schedule in 2017 where the 
certification has been pending, and the remaining two Members19 had not yet circulated t heir draft 
schedules.   
1.16.  In 2021, the Committee continued its deliberations on possible elements to enhance 
transparency and the Committee's review process. The issue was considered in three informal 
meetings in March, June and September. The Committee also continued discussions aimed at 
improving Members' notification compliance.  
1.17.  Several online tools support the Committee's monitoring and transparency functions. 
Since  2012, t he AG -IMS platform has facilitated Member submission of questions and responses in 
the context of the Committee's monitoring of implementation of commitments. At the 
October  2019 meeting, the Secretariat launched the on -line agriculture notification system20 for use 
by all Members. In 2021, the Secretariat introduced further enhancements  to the 
AG-IMS Q&A system based on Members' suggestions, including the addition of the option to 
co-sponsor questions.  
1.18.  Regarding technical assistance activities, the first phase of the eleventh Geneva -based 
workshop on agriculture notifications was conduc ted in a virtual format  from 20-22 October 2021. 
The in -person follow -up to this workshop, or its second phase, is tentatively scheduled to take place 
in September 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2021, the  WTO's Agriculture and Commodities 
Division , in col laboration with the International Trade Centre  (ITC),  delivered a virtual workshop on 
agriculture for the delegation of Iraq. Another workshop focusing specifically on agriculture 
notifications was organized in a virtual format for  El Salvador. Additionall y, upon request , the 
Secretariat organized one -on-one trainings on the AG -IMS to assist Members with th e use of the 
online notification  submission  system .  
 
16 G/AG/W/125/Rev.14 , G/AG/W/125/Rev.14/Corr.1, G/AG/W/125/Rev.14/Add.1, 
G/AG/W/125/Rev.14/Add.2, G/AG/W/125/Rev.14/Add.2/Corr.1, G/A G/W/125/Rev.14/Add.3, and 
G/AG/W/125/Rev.14/Add.4 .  
17 The Secretariat organized an information session on how to reply to the annual export competition 
questionnaire in the margins of the March 2020 Committee meeting.  
18 Section 5 of G/AG/W/ 213. 
19 Brazil's draft modified schedule incorporating the Nairobi Decision was later circulated in document 
G/MA/TAR/RS/660 dated 28 October 2021.  
20 http://agims.wto.org/ . G/L/1421  
 
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  1.19.  The following international intergovernmental organizations have regular observer status in 
the Comm ittee: Food and Agriculture Organization  (FAO) , International Monetary Fund  (IMF) , the 
International Grains Council  (IGC) , Organisation for Economic Co -operation and 
Development  (OECD ), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD ), World Food 
Programme  (WFP) , and the World Bank.  At its September meeting, the Committee agreed to renew 
the ad hoc observer status of the Inter -American Institute for Agricultural Cooperation (II CA) 
for 2022. 
1.20.  The dates of the meetings of the Committee in 2022 were announced at the September  2021 
CoA meeting.21  
 
 
__________  
 
21 G/AG/GEN/192.  In light of consultations organized by the Cha irperson of the Council for Trade in 
Goods  (CTG) on the scheduling of the meetings of the CTG subsidiary bodies , and to avoid  a potential overlap 
with a meeting of  another CTG subsidiary body, it was later decided  to change the dates of the March 2022 
meeting of the Committee to  15-17 March  2022 (instead of 7 -8 March announced in G/AG/GEN/192).