G/L/1380  
 
3 December 2020 
(20-8705) Page: 1/4 
    
 
 
REPORT (2020) 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 
her own responsibility. This report provides a summary of the activities of the Committee on 
Agriculture ("the Committee") during 20 20. 
1.2.  The Committee organized thr ee formal meetings in 2020 on 28 July1, 22-23 September, 
and 30 November  - 1 December .2 Two informal meetings of the Committee were held respectively 
on 21  September and 30  November. Ms. Christiane Daleiden Distefano of Luxemburg chaired the 
Committee's June special meeting and the July formal meeting . The Committee elected  
Ms. Maria  Araceli Escandor of the Philippines as the new Chairperson for  2020-2021 beginning with 
the September  meeting.  
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 sup port, export competition, export prohibitions and restrictions as well as 
under the follow -up to the Marrakesh Ministerial Decision on NFIDCs. Between 1  January 
and 2  December  2020, 338 agriculture notifications were circulated.  
1.4.  In 2020, Memb ers posed 2 55 questions in connection with 133 specific notifications during the 
Committee's review process. These questions were distributed as follows: 71% related to domestic 
support issues, 21%  to market access, 4% to export competition, 3% to export restrictions and 
prohibitions, and the remaining questions related  to the NFIDC Decision.3 Specific concerns were 
also raised regarding outstanding notifications 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 297 questions on 
116 specific implementation matters (SIMs) were raised by 1 8 Members during 2020. Out of these, 
87 SIMs were discussed for the first time in 20 20. The remaining matters  were discussed on one or 
more occasions  in previous years ; three of these SIMs have been brought up in more than 
10 CoA meetings  and attracting between 27 and 63 questions in t otal.  
1.6.  Since 2018, at the request of the Chair, the Secretariat  has been monitoring the number of 
outstanding responses under the CoA review proces s.4 A gradual reduction in the number of 
outstanding responses has been observed since this exercise started. As of the 
30 November -1 December Committee meeting, 82 responses were pending for questions raised 
during  2013-2018 and 35 for questions raised in 2019. The successive Chairs encouraged Members 
 
1 The first formal meeting of the Committee in 2020 was initially scheduled for March and was 
postponed to July due to the COVID -19 pandemic. In view of logistical and time constraints, only items subject 
to specific questions or requests from Members were considered under the revised agenda for the rescheduled 
meeting. The September meeting of the Committee reverted to regular standing agenda items.  
2 The summary reports of these meetings are conta ined in documents G/AG/R/ 95, G/AG/R/96 (to be 
issued) and G/AG/R/97 (to be issued) . 
3 See G/AG/W/ 205/Rev.1 , G/AG/W/ 206, G/AG/W/ 207 and G/AG/W/ 208. 
4 The Secretariat circulated a list of outstanding responses in documents G/AG/W/204  
and G/AG/W/204/Rev.1 . G/L/1380  
 
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  to continue their efforts to reduce outstanding respo nses to enhance the efficacy of the Committee's 
monitoring functions.  
1.7.  At each meeting the Committee reviewed the status of Members' compliance with their 
notification obligations under the Agreement  based on a  Secretariat document summarizing the 
status o f compliance with notification requirements.5 While a significant proportion of notifications 
are still outstanding (about 25% of all notifications from 1995 -2018), Members  are continui ng their 
efforts to bring their notification record up to date.  
1.8.  In response to specific requests by Members, a  special meeting of the Committee was convened 
on 18 June pursuant to paragraph  6 of the Committee's working procedures (G/AG/1), focusing on 
COVID -19 and agricultural trade policies within the framework of the Agre ement. The discussions 
were organized based on specific contributions by Members on COVID -19 and agriculture as well as 
advance written questions  on COVID -19 and agricultural trade policies within the setting of 
commitments under the AoA.6 At the special meeting, Members also agreed to include 
"COVID -19 and Agriculture" as a standing item on the agenda of future Committee meetings, 
starting with the September 2020 meeting. It was also agreed to invite the observer international 
organizations to contribute to the discussions under this agenda item. Startin g with the June special 
meeting, several  written contributions7 have been submitted by Members on COVID -19 and 
agriculture, including specific notifications8 and ad hoc reports9 on their measures taken in the 
agricultural sector in response to the pande mic; some observer international organizations have also 
circulated written contributions10 on this theme.  
1.9.   With respect to the work of the Committee related specifically to NFIDCs, the WTO list of 
NFIDCs was updated11 in September to include Samoa.12 The Committee undertook the annual 
monitoring of 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) at the November 2020  meeting  based principally on Members' NF notifications13 
as well as contributions14 by  observer international organizations . The Secretariat circulated a 
background note15 to facilitate the annual NF  discussions. Within the Committee's monitoring of the 
follow -up to the NFIDC  Decision, Members continued to reflect on the review of the provisions on 
international food aid contained in the Nairobi Decision on Export Competition as mandated in its 
paragraph 32.16 
1.10.   At the November 2020 CoA meeting, the Committ ee undertook the consultations with respect 
to Members' participation in the normal growth of world trade. The exercise, conducted annually 
pursuant to Article 18.5 of the Agreement on Agriculture, was supported by a background note17 by 
the Secretariat.  
 
5 G/AG/GEN/86/Rev.37  to Rev.40.  
6 The summary report of th is meeting is contained in documents  G/AG/R/9 4 and G/AG/R/ 94/Add.1.  
7 WT/GC/208/Rev.2 - G/AG/30/Rev.2; WT/GC/218 - TN/AG/44 - G/AG/31; WT/GC/217; RD/AG/77  
and RD/AG/79.  
8 G/AG/N/THA/107 , G/AG/N/THA/1 07/Add.1, G/AG/N/KGZ/8, G/AG/N/MKD/26, G/AG/N/MYN/21, 
G/AG/N/MYN/21/Add.1, G/AG/N/VNM/13 and  G/AG/N/NZL/122.  
9 G/AG/GEN/159; G/AG/GEN/159/A dd.1; G/AG/GEN/159/A dd.2; G/AG/GEN/159/A dd.3; 
G/AG/GEN/160 ; G/AG/GEN/161 ; G/AG/GEN/162 ; G/AG/GEN/16 3; G/AG/GEN/16 4; G/AG/GEN/16 4/Add.1  
G/AG/GEN/16 5; G/AG/GEN/16 6; G/AG/GEN/167 ; G/AG/GEN/167/REV.1 ; and G/AG/GEN/1 72. Pursuant to 
Members ' request for tracking and unifying submitted ad hoc  reports, the Secretariat circulated on 25 
November a draft compilation document  (G/AG /W/209 and attachment, to be issued). Brazil on behalf of the 
Ottawa Group circulated a compilation of ad hoc  reports made by Ottawa Group Members ( G/AG/GEN/17 7 and 
attachment) . 
10 G/AG/GEN/168 , G/AG/GEN/16 9, G/AG/GEN/170 , G/AG/GEN/171 , G/AG/GEN/175, G/AG/G EN/176 . 
11 G/AG/5/Rev.11 . 
12 The annual review of the NFIDC list, usually considered at the March meetings of the Committee, was 
postponed to the September meeting due to  logistical reasons. See footnote 1.  
13 Referred to in paragraph 2B(i) of the convening airgram of the November -December 2020 meeting of 
the Committee (WTO/AIR/AG/48).  
14 G/AG/GEN/173 and G/AG/GEN/174.  
15 G/AG/W/42/Rev.21.  
16 WT/MIN(15)/45, para. 32.  
17 G/AG/W/32/Rev.19  plus corrigendum . G/L/1380  
 
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  1.11.   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 Concerns18, 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  2020.  
1.12.   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 Agreement; (ii) the Nairobi Ministerial Decision on Export Competition ; and (iii)  the 
Bali Decision on Public Stockholding for Food Security Purposes.  
1.13.   Following the adoptio n of the report19 on the Review of the Bali Decision on TRQ administration  
and the associated recommendations by the General Council at its December 2019 meeting, the 
Committee held follow -up discussions on the issue. The Secretariat circulated an updated 
background document20 on TRQ administration and fill rates pursuant to the agreed 
recommendations. The Committee also considered a Tracking Register to record matters raised 
under the underfill mechanism based on a draft circulated by the Secretariat.  
1.14.   The follow -up to the Nairobi Ministerial Decision on Export Competition mainly consisted21 in 
the annual dedicated discussion on export competition which took place  during the September  2020 
meeting. The discussions were held based on the Secretariat's backgro und document. Following the 
meeting, a revised background document compiling all the information received by the Secretariat 
was circulated on 26 October  202022 concluding this review  process. During the September meeting,  
Members exchanged on specific mea sures in relation to the implementation of the Nairobi Decision.23 
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.  
1.15.   Regarding the modification o f the scheduled export subsidy commitments pursuant to the 
Nairobi Decision, the latest situation as reported by the Chairperson at the November  2020 
Committee meeting was as follows: out of the 16 Members with export subsidy reduction 
commitments at the t ime of the Nairobi Decision, 11 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, one Member had submitted its revised draft schedule in October 2020 
and the remaining two Members had not yet circulated their draft schedules.   
1.16.   In a first recourse to the Bali Ministerial Decision on Public Stockholding for Food Security 
Purposes, one Member notified24 the Committee on 31 March that it had exceeded the de minimis  
level for rice for the marketing year 2018 -2019 and that this was covered by the Interim Solution 
set out in the Bali Decision25 and in the subsequent General Council Decision26 of November 2014. 
The notification was reviewed at the July, September and November -December meetings of the 
Committee.27  
1.17.   In 2020, the Committee continued its deliberations on possible elements to enhance 
transparency and the Committee's review process. The issue was considered in two informal 
meetings in September and November. The Committee also continued discussions aimed at 
improving Members' notification compliance.  
1.18.   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 
 
18 WT/MIN(01)/17, para. 2. 
19 G/AG/29.  
20 G/AG/W/183 /Rev.1  and Attachements . 
21 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.  
22 G/AG/W/125/Rev. 13, G/AG/W/125/Rev. 13/Add.1 - 
G/AG/W/125/Rev. 13/Add.4 , G/AG/W/125/Rev. 13/Add.2/Corr.1  and G /AG/W/125/Rev. 13/Add.2/Corr. 2. 
23 Section 4 of G/AG/W/ 207. 
24 G/AG/N/IND/18.  
25 WT/MIN(13)/38.  
26 WT/L/939.  
27 Relevant s ummary reports of the meetings are referenced in footnote 2.  G/L/1380  
 
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  meeting, the Secretariat launched the on -line agriculture notifi cation system28 for use by all 
Members. In 2020, the Secretariat introduced enhancements to the AG -IMS Q&A system based on 
Members' suggestions and informed Members that further improvements are being developed. 
A transparency information session was organ ized by the Secretariat in the margins of the November 
meeting to showcase the Q&A function of the AG -IMS and to present a study on the questions raised 
in the context of the CoA review process.  
1.19.   Regarding technical assistance activities, the eleventh Gene va-based workshop on agriculture 
notifications originally scheduled in July 2020 was postponed to 2021 in light of the COVID -19 
pandemic. Other face -to-face trainings were also postponed or cancelled. In 2020, the  WTO's 
Agriculture and Commodities Division  delivered two virtual workshops to Mongolia and Jamaica 
focusing specifically on agriculture notifications.  Additionally, 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 .  
1.20.   Following Members' request at the special meeting in June, an information session on 
COVID -19 and agriculture took place on the margins of the July meeting. The Food and Agriculture 
Organization (FAO), the International Grains Council  (IGC), the International Trade Centre  (ITC) and 
the International Food Policy Research Institute  (IFPRI) participated in the session and presented 
work on the monitoring and analysis of COVID -19 related agricultural policies.29 
1.21.   The following international i ntergovernmental organizations have regular observer status in 
the Committee: Food and Agriculture Organization, International Monetary Fund, the International 
Grains Council, OECD, UNCTAD, World Food Programme, and the World Bank.[At its 
30 November  - 1 December meeting, the Committee agreed to renew the ad hoc observer status of 
the Inter -American Institute for Agricultural Cooperation (IICA) for  2021.  
1.22.   The dates of the meetings of the Committee in 2021 were announced at the 
30 November -1 December 2020 CoA meeting.30  
 
 
__________  
 
28 http://agims.wto.org/ . 
29 Details are accessible at https://www.wto.org /english/tratop_e/agric_e/info_sess_28jul20_e.htm . 
30 G/AG/GEN/ 178.