G/L/ 1446  
 
24 November 2022  
(22-8747) Page: 1/4 
   
 
REPORT (202 2) 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 22. 
1.2.  The Committee organized four formal meetings in 202 2 on 15-16 March , 27-28 June, 
and 14-15 September  and 21 -22 November1. Eight informal meetings of the Committee were held 
respectively on  2 February, 18 February, 15  March, 27  June, 14 September, 11 October, 27 October, 
and 21 Nove mber. Mr. Marcos da Rosa Uranga of Uruguay chaired the Committee's Mar ch meeting . 
In June 2022, t he Committee elected  Mr. Marcel V ernooij  of the Netherlands as the new Chairperson 
for 2022-2023. 
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 Ministerial Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects 
of the Reform Programme on Least developed and Net Food -Importing Developing 
Countries (NFIDC  Decision ). Between 1  January and  22 November, 35 6 agriculture  notifications 
were circulated.  
1.4.  In 202 2, Memb ers posed 2 58 questions in connection with 150 specific notifications during the 
Committee's review process.2 These questions were distributed as follows: 68% related to domestic 
support issues, 2 5% to market access, 2% to export competition, and the remaining 5 % related to 
export restrictions and prohibitions and in relation  to the NFIDC Decision. Specific conce rns 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 216  questions on 
144 specific implementation matters (SIMs) were raised by 20 Members during 2022. Out of these, 
73 SIMs were discussed for the first time in 202 2. The remaining matters were discussed on one or 
more occasions in p revious years .  
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 November  Committee meeting, 129 responses were 
pending for questions raised during  2013-2020 and 47 for questions raised in 2021. The successive 
Chairpersons continued 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/ 101, G/AG/R/ 102, and 
G/AG/R/10 3, and G/AG/R/104 (to be issued). The March meeting of the Committee was reconvened on 
29 March 2022 to take up the suspended agenda item relating to the review of the operation of the Bali TRQ 
Decision (please refer to paragraph 1.10  of this report).   
2 See G/AG/W/ 217, G/AG/W/ 221, G/AG/W/ 222 and G/AG/W/ 226. 
3 The Secretariat circulated a list of outstanding responses in documents G/AG/W/204 /Rev.5, 
G/AG/W/204 /Rev.6, G/AG/W/204 /Rev.7, and G/AG/W/204 /Rev.8.  G/L/1446 
 
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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 -2020), Members  are continui ng their  
efforts to bring their notification record up to date.  
1.8.  The Com mittee conducted the annual monitoring exercise on the follow up to the Marrakesh 
NFIDC Decision under Article 16.2 of the Agreement on Agriculture and the annual consultations 
under Article 18.5 to review the normal growth of world agricultural trade in t he context of export 
subsidy commitments  at its November meeting.5 The NFIDC monitoring exercise was undertaken on 
the basis of Table  NF:1 notifications by donor Members, contributions by Members and observer 
organizations6, as well as a background note prepared by the Secretariat.7 The WTO list of NFIDCs8 
remained unchanged. The consultations to review the normal growth of world agricultural trade were 
informed by a background note by the Secretariat9. 
1.9.  The Committee also discussed foll ow-up to the 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 on Agriculture10; (ii) the Ministerial Declaration on the 
Emergency Response to Food Insecurity11, (iii) Ministerial Declaration on the WTO response to the 
COVID -19 pandemic and preparedness for future pandemics12; (iv) the Nairobi Ministerial Decision 
on Export Competition13; and (v)  Bali Decision on Public Stoc kholding for food security purposes 
(PSH) .14  
1.10.  On the Bali TRQ Decision, the Committee at the reconvened March meeting on 29  March 
reached a consensus on the draft decision on the future operation of paragraph 4 of the underfill 
mechanism15 and agreed to tr ansmit the the report along with a draft decision to the General Council 
for its consideration. T he General Council at its special meeting on 31 March 2022 adopted the 
decision  based on the recommendations by the Committee .16 At its September meeting, the 
Committee  approved the Secretariat Tracking Register17 with the understanding that the Committee 
may periodically review and adjust the register as necessary, based on the experience of the 
implementation of the underfill Mechanism.  
1.11.  The Committee took up the first triennial review of the Bali TRQ Decision in 2022 pursuant to 
Paragraph 3  of the recommendations of the Review of the Operation of the Bali Decision on 
TRQ Administration18 approved by the General Council at its meeting on  9-10 December 2019 . An 
updated background note19 on TRQ administration, fill rates and Members' notification practices was 
circulated by the Secretariat to assist the review. Members considered the draft report20 of the 
triennial review at its November meet ing and agreed to finalize the review  at the Committee's next 
meeting in March 2023 in order to get additional time to examine the report and the issued raised 
therein.   
 
4 G/AG/GEN/86/Rev.4 4, G/AG/GEN/86/Rev.4 5, G/AG/GEN/86/Rev.4 6 and G/AG/GEN/86/Rev.4 7. 
5 In view of the 12th Ministerial Conference originally scheduled for November -December  2021, the  2021 
edition of the  two exercises was undertaken at the March 2022 meeting  of the Committee . Sections 3.1 
and 3.2 of G/AG/R/102 refer.  
6 G/AG/GEN/207 (submissions by the IGC), G/AG /GEN/208 (submission by the WFP) , G/AG/GEN/20 9 
(submissions by the FAO) G/AG/GEN/2 10 (submissions by the I ICA), and G/AG/GEN/2 11 (submissions by 
the IMF). The World Bank made an oral intervention.  
7 G/AG/W/42/ series . 
8 G/AG/5/Rev.11.  
9 G/AG/W/32 series.  
10 WT/MIN(13)/39 – WT/L/914.  
11 WT/MIN(22)/28 – WT/L/1139 . 
12 WT/MIN(22)/31 - WT/L/1142 . 
13 WT/MIN/(15)/45 – WT/L/980.  
14 WT/MIN(13)/38 – WT/L/913.  
15 G/AG/32/Add.1.  
16 WT/L/1132.  
17 G/AG/34 .  
18 Annex  2 to G/AG/29 .  
19 G/AG/W/183/Rev.2.  
20 RD/AG/95/Rev.1  G/L/1446 
 
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  1.12.  Members exchanged views on the elaboration of a dedicated work programme on issues 
related to LDCs and NFIDCs pursuant to paragraph 8 of the MC12 Declaration on the Emergency 
Response to Food Insecurity at its June, September and November meetings. These exchanges were 
facilitated by Members' written submissions21 as well as background note22 on LDCs and NFIDCs 
flexibilities prepared by the Secretariat. Members' discussions focused on the possible themes to be 
examined under the work programme, as well as the associated working methods for its elaboration. 
At the meeting of the Committee in November 2022, Members approved the draft23 containing  
thematic outline and working methods24 to elaborate the work programme .25  
1.13.  As was agreed at the special meeting of the Committee in June 2020, the Committee 
continued to discuss 'COVID -19 and Agricultu re' in its meetings in 2022. Since the September 
meeting of the Committee, the discussion s were taken up within the overall guidance of the 
MC-12 Declaration  on the WTO Response to the COVID -19 Pandemic and Preparedness for Future 
Pandemics specifically in light of paragraph 24 of the Declaration. The discussions were organized 
based on Members' ad hoc  reports26 on their measures taken in the agricultural sect or in response 
to the COVID -19 pandemic as well as contributions by observer international organizations.27  
1.14.  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.  At the March Committee meeting, the Committee concluded the Second Triennial Review 
of the Nairobi Decision on export competition and adopted the report28 of the review.  The 
2022 annual dedicated discussion took place in the September 2022 meeting based on the 
Secretariat's background document29 as well as specific questions raised by Members  on matters 
related to the implementation of the Nairobi Decision.30  
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  2022 
Committee meeting was as follows: out of the 16 Members with export subsidy reduction 
commitments at the time of th e Nairobi Decision, 13 Members31 had their schedule revised pursuant 
to the Decision, two32 other Members had submitted their revised draft schedule in 2017 where the 
certification has been pending, and the remaining one Member33 had not yet circulated its draft 
schedule.   
1.16.  With respect to the Bali PSH  Decision, a group of Members informed the Committee to have 
formally launched consultations with India under paragraph 6 of the Decision in order to address 
their transparency -related concerns on the PSH programme of India.34  
1.17.  The Committee maintained a s tanding item on its agenda relating to implementation -related  
issues, both in the framework of its follow -up to the Decision by the Doha Ministerial Conference on 
Implementation -Related Issues and Concerns35, as well as in the framework of issues and propo sals 
referred to it by the General Council. No Member intervened under this agenda item in 2022.  
1.18.  In 2022, the Committee continued its deliberations on possible elements to enhance 
transparency and the Committee's review process. The issue was considered i n five informal 
meetings on 15 March, 27  June, 14 September, 27 October, and 22 November. The Committee 
 
21 G/AG/W/223, G/AG/W/224, and G/AG/W/225.  
22 RD/AG/94.  
23 RD/AG/97.  
24 G/AG/35.  
25 The approved work programme was later circulated as G/AG/35.  
26 No ad hoc report  was received in 2022.   
27 Contributions by observer internati onal organizations in 2022: G/AG/GEN/194, G/AG/GEN/195, 
G/AG/GEN/199/Rev.1, G/AG/GEN/201, G/AG/GEN/202, G/AG/GEN/204, and G/AG/GEN/205.  
28 G/AG/33 refers.  
29 G/AG/W/125/Rev.16, G/AG/W/125/Rev.16/Corr.1, G/AG/W/125/Rev.16/Add.1, 
G/AG/W/125/Rev.16/Add.2, G/AG/W/125/Rev.16/Add.3, and G/AG/W/125/Rev.16/Add.4.  
30 Section 4 of G/AG/W/ 222. 
31 Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, Norway, Sou th Africa, Switzerland, 
Türkiye , United States of America, and Uruguay.  
32 Canada and the European Union.  
33 Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela . 
34 Section 3.1.5 of G/AG/R/103.  
35 WT/MIN(01)/17,  para. 2.  G/L/1446 
 
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  examined a submission36 by a group of Members to launch work on a domestic support database.  
The Committee also continued discussions aimed at improving  the timeliness and completeness of  
Members' notifications as well as streamlining notification requirements in the pillar of export 
competition37.  
1.19.  At its November 2022 meeting, the Committee agreed, starting with the next meeting  in 
March 2023 , to add an  agenda item on outstanding ES:1 notification s where Members could 
announce no recourse to agricultural export subsidies in order for the Secretariat to do the further 
procedural follow -up to release the concerned Members' ES:1 notifications for the releva nt years 
containing a "NIL" statement. Oral announcement of "nil" export subsidies at Committee meetings 
would be an additional avenue for Members to fulfil outstanding ES:1 notification obligations along 
with the existing traditional option  of submitting notification s via the Central Registry of Notifications 
(CRN).  
1.20.  On the margins of the 100th meeting of the Committee in March, a half -day CoA@100 event38 
was organized to recall and acknowledge the Committee's accomplishments over the last 
twenty -seven years .39  
1.21.  Several online tools support the Committee's monitoring and transparency functions. 
Since  2012, t he Agriculture Information Management System (AG -IMS)40 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 a new 
AG-IMS function enabling on -line submission of agriculture notifications for Members. In 2022, the 
Secretariat introduced further enhancements to the  AG-IMS Q&A system, including the addition of 
the feature to generate automatic reminders to Members with outstanding responses option to 
co-sponsor questions. During the Committee meetings in 2022, the Secretariat regularly updated 
Members on the progress  made in the first module of the AG-IMS extension project on Export 
Competition Questionnaire (ECQ) which would enable online replies to the ECQ and online data 
extraction and reporting.  
1.22.  At the informal Committee meeting of 14 September, the  Secretariat m ade a detailed 
presentation on the AG -IMS covering both the on -line notification system and the Q&A facility. The 
Secretariat also introduced a background document41 which provided detailed information on the 
work of the Committee and its current data auto mation and documentation practices.  
1.23.  Regarding technical assistance activities, the WTO Secretariat delivered the second in -person 
phase of the advanced agriculture notification workshop on 13 -16 September 2022 in Geneva, 
Switzerland, back -to-back with the  Committee meeting in September. In 2022, the WTO's 
Agriculture and Commodities Division delivered a workshop on the Agreement on Agriculture in 
Mauritius and a workshop focusing specifically on agriculture notifications in Ghana . Additionally, 
upon reques t, the Secretariat organized one -on-one trainings on the AG -IMS to assist Members with 
the use of the online notification submission system.  
1.24.  The following international intergovernmental organizations have regular observer status in 
the Committee: 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 November  meeting, the Committee agreed to renew 
the ad hoc observer status of the Inter -American Institute for Agricultural Cooperation  (IICA) 
for 2023.  
1.25.  The dates of the meetings of the Committee in 2023 were announced at the November  2022 
CoA meeting.42 
__________  
 
36 RD/AG/92.  
37 RD/AG/96.  
38 An informal summary report of the event by the Secretariat can be found in G/AG/GEN/203.  
39 G/AG/GEN/196/Rev.1. and G/AG/GEN/203.  
40 http://agims.wto.org/ . 
41 G/AG/GEN/206.  
42 G/AG/GEN/212.