G/AG/W/42/Rev.19/Add.1  
 
15 November 2018  
(18-7191) Page: 1/6 
Committee on Agriculture    
 
IMPLEMENTATION OF TH E DECISION ON MEASUR ES CONCERNING THE PO SSIBLE 
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE REFORM PROGRAMME  ON LEAST DEVELOPED  
AND NET FOOD -IMPORTI NG DEVELOPING COUNTR IES 
NOTE BY THE SECRETAR IAT1 
Addendum  
The present addendum includes an update of the  information in the Secretaria t note 
G/AG/W/42/Rev.1 9 dated 1 February  2018 on implementation of the Decision on Measures 
Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on Least -Developed and Net 
Food-Importing Developing Countries (NFIDC  Decision).   
 
                                                
1 This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own respons ibility and is without prejudice to 
the positions of Members or to their rights and obligations under the WTO.   G/AG/W/42/Rev.19/Add.1  
 
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  1  FOOD AID  
1.1  Food Assistance Convention membership  
1.1.  Republic of Korea acceded to the Food Assistance Convention  (FAC)  in 2018 bringing the total 
FAC membership to sixteen. The initial minimum annual commitment level of the Republic of Korea 
in 2018 stands at 46 billion Korean Won. Minimum commitment levels in 2018 for the remaining 
fifteen Parties remain unch anged compared to those in 2017:  
Donor  Comm itments in 201 8 
Australia  AUD 80 million 
Austria  EUR 1.495  million 
Canada  CAD 250 million 
Denmark  DKK 185 million  
European Union  EUR 350 million  
Finland  EUR 6 million 
France  EUR 33 million 
Japan  JPY 10 billion 
Korea, Republic of  KRW 46 billion  
Luxembourg  EUR 4 million 
Russian Federation  USD 15 million 
Slovenia  EUR 30,000  
Spain  EUR 10 million  
Sweden  SEK 200 million 
Switzerland  CHF 34 million 
United States of America  USD 2.2 billion 
Source:  http://www.foodassistanceconvention.org/commitments.aspx .  
1.2  Data on food aid shipments  
1.2.  The previous revisions of this document included data set on global food aid deliveries based 
on WFP International Food Information System (INTERFAIS). Global food aid deliveries data from 
the INTERFAIS was available in volumetric terms. The WFP discontinued the INTERFAIS in 201 6. 
The food aid shipments data by donors under the Food Aid Convention, now expired, were also 
available in quantity terms reported against their annual minimum commitments under the 
Convention. Under the  current  Food Assistance Convention (FAC) 2013, the annual commitments of 
the donor parties are in monetary terms. Since the discontinuation of INTERFAIS, the FAO has been 
developing a food aid data collection system  to monitor and report on global food transactio ns.  
1.3.  Food aid data is currently being collected through a variety of channels. Under the review 
process of the Committee on Agriculture including the follow -up to the NF IDC Decision and the 
agreed notification requirements2, quantitative food aid data is r eported in donor Members' Table 
ES:3 notifications (and in some cases in Table ES:1 in respect of products in the export subsidy 
schedules of the relevant Members) . At the same time, Table NF:1 notifications include volumetric 
or monetary data on the provi sion of food aid in favour of the beneficiary net food -importing 
developing countries (NFIDCs) and least developed countries (LDCs) .3 In the context of the annual 
dedicated discussions on export competition  in the Committee on Agriculture , the Secretariat 
prepares background documents4, including on international food aid, drawing information from 
                                                
2 G/AG/2.  
3 Members' notifications may be consulted on the Agriculture Information Management System (AG -
IMS) at: http://agims.wto.org/Pages/Default.aspx .  
4 Refer to documents in the G/AG/W/125/ series.  G/AG/W/42/Rev.19/Add.1  
 
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  Members' relevant export subsidy (ES) notifications as well as Members' replies to the annual 
questionnaire  circulated by the Secretariat . The Secretariat also lia ises with relevant international 
organizations to enhance transparency of global food aid deliveries.  
1.3  Concessionality of Food Aid  
1.4.  Members’ Table NF:1 notifications explicitly include an “indication of the proportion in fully 
grant form or appropriate conce ssional terms”. Annex 1 includes a record of donor Members’ 
compliance with the Table NF:1 notification s for the period 1995 -2017. Most notifying Members have 
notified the provision of food aid to the beneficiary countries in fully grant form. The US’s Table NF:1 
notification reports that Title II food aid is provided in fully grant form.5 US’s Title I aid may 
potentially provi de food aid in concessional terms, however, no funding has been appropriated under 
Title I since 2006.6 The Ministerial Decision on Export C ompetition adopted at Nairobi in 2015 
requires Members to ensure that all international food aid is in fully grant form.  
2  ABILITY  TO FINANCE COMMERCI AL IMPORTS  
2.1   Cereal imports and price trends  
2.1.  International observer organi zations, especially the FAO, have  regularly referred to overall 
trends in cereal imports and cereal import bills in the context of the monitoring of the food security 
situation in LDCs and NFIDCs. Cereals form an important part of the import  food basket of LDCs 
and NFIDCs , as evident from table  1 below.  
Table 1: Share of cereals in total agriculture imports during 2008 -2017 (% terms)  
 
2008  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  
LDCs  25.9 21.8 20.7 21.5 18.3 22.3 23.3 18.8 20.5 21.8 
NFIDC  29.8 23.6 22.9 25.3 24.8 21.6 24.8 22.9 22.5 22.6 
Source: UN COMTRADE database (reported data, complemented by mirror data).  
2.2.  While cereal -based food aid quantities have been declining over the years , trends in cereal 
imports by LDCs and NFIDCs over the last ten years also indicate that total imports of cereals by 
these two groups of countries have been increasing.    
Chart 1: Imports of cereals (HS Chapter 10) by LDCs and NFIDCs during 2008 -2017  
 
Source: UN COMTRADE database (reported data, complemented by mirror data).  
 
                                                
5 The Latest Table NF:1 notification (2016) from the United States is contained G/AG/N/USA/119.  
6 G/AG/W/106.  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
LDCs 16,191 17,341 17,237 19,276 17,201 29,390 34,293 24,746 26,957 49,981
NFIDC 38,553 31,871 43,701 46,404 39,392 46,789 39,011 39,760 44,191 79,094010,00020,00030,00040,00050,00060,00070,00080,00090,000000 tonnes
LDCs NFIDCG/AG/W/42/Rev.19/Add.1  
 
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  2.3.  The previous revisions of the document also included information on grain price trends using 
the Grains and Oilseeds Index (GOI) of the IGC. As cereals contribute to more than 65% of the GOI 
composition, the trends in GOI along with cereal import quantities may be a go od indicator to assess 
trends in cereal import bill s. As chart 2 shows, starting from the latter part of 2012, cereal and 
oilseed prices have been generally declining. Production uncertainties and adverse weather events 
led to some upward movement in the g rains and oilseed prices in 2016 and 2017.  Price gains were 
restrained in tho se years due to the existence of ample global stocks; however,  with inventories 
starting to come down, markets had a firmer tone in 2018 amid concerns about the impact of less 
than ideal w eather for crops in the America s, Europe and Australia. The existing trade tensions, 
especially for soybeans, are considered to have dampened upward pressure on prices , and the IGC 
GOI on June 2018 was 3% lower than the previous year . 
Chart  2: The IGC Grains and Oilseeds Index (GOI) * (2000 -2018) 
 
* IGC Grains and Oilseeds Index composition: wheat (30%), maize (22%), barley (4%), 
sorghum  (2%), rice  (8%), soybeans (31%), rapeseed/canola (2%). See http://www.igc.in t for more 
details. January  2000 = 100. 
Source:  International Grains Council (IGC).  
3  CONTRIBUTIONS  BY THE INTERNATIONA L OBSERVER ORGANIZAT IONS DURING THE 
ANNUAL 2017 NF MONIT ORING EXERCISE7  
3.1.  All Intergovernmental Organization s (IGOs)8 having an observer status in the Committee on 
Agriculture are invited every year to contribute to the annual NF monitoring exercise. During the 
2017 exercise, the FAO participated in the discussions and reported9 on developments in the cost of 
imports of basic foodstuffs looking specifically at the situation of LDCs and NFIDCs. Rising and 
volatile freight rates were also mentioned as a contribut ing factor for high food import bill in 2017. 
The FAO also reported on the activities of the Agricultural Market Information system (AMIS), market 
trends for key cereals and food prices and price volatility. It also informed the Committee ab out the 
step taken to assume the monitoring of global food aid shipments after the discontinuation of the 
WFP's INTERFAIS. The I GC on behalf of the Food Assistance Committee sent a written contribution10 
to the Committee highlighting the activities of the Food Assistance Convention and reported on the 
                                                
7 In view of the Buenos Aires Ministerial Conference, the 2017 exercise was postponed to be undertaken 
at the February 2018 meeting of the Committee.  
8 International Grains Council (IGC), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organization for Economic 
Cooperati on and Development (OECD), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United 
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), World Bank, 
and Inter -American Institute for Agricultural Cooperation  (IICA).   
9 G/AG/GEN/144.  
10 G/AG/GEN/143.  050100150200250300350G/AG/W/42/Rev.19/Add.1  
 
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  first five -yearly assessment of FAC's relevance conducted in 2017. The IICA also s hared with the 
Committee a written contribution11 outlining the various technical assistance activities that it 
conducted in 2017 to support the Lain American and Caribbean (LAC) countries in the area of food 
and nutrition security covering availability of food, access to food, food utilization and food stability.  
  
                                                
11 G/AG/GEN/142.   
  G/AG/W/42/Rev.19/Add.1  
 
- 6 - Annex 1:  List of n otification s under Article  16.2 of the Agreem ent on Agriculture (Table  NF:1) for the reporting years  1995 -2017 
Year  Argentina  Australia  Canada  Cuba  European  
Union  Indonesia  Japan  New 
Zealand  Norway  Russia n 
Federation  South  Africa  Switzerland  United  
States  
1995  ARG/10  AUS/5  CAN/11  CUB/4  EEC/9   JPN/15  NZL/6  NOR/6   ZAF/7  CHE/23   
1996  ARG/10  AUS/13  CAN/18  CUB/5  EEC/21  & Add.1   JPN/27  NZL/13  NOR/19 & 
Corr.1   ZAF/9  CHE/23  USA/7  
1997  ARG/10  AUS/21  CAN/25  CUB/14  EEC/21 & Add.1   JPN/33  NZL/17  NOR/20 & 
Corr.1   ZAF/17  CHE/23  USA/20  
1998  ARG/10  AUS/25  CAN/34  CUB/14  EEC/25   JPN/46  NZL/25  NOR/26   ZAF/24  CHE/23  USA/21  
1999  ARG/10  AUS/32/Rev.1  CAN/42  CUB/18  EEC/35   JPN/68  NZL/26  NOR/33   ZAF/32  CHE/30  USA/31  
2000  ARG/15  AUS/39  CAN/52  CUB/18  EEC/35   JPN/78  NZL/30  NOR/34 & 
Corr.1   ZAF/39  CHE/30  USA/46  
2001  ARG/21  AUS/48  CAN/52  CUB/22  EEC/46 & Add.1   JPN/87  NZL/39  NOR/37   ZAF/42  CHE/30  USA/52  
2002   AUS/51  & Corr.1  CAN/57  CUB/24  EEC/46 & Add.1   JPN/107  NZL/39  NOR/42   ZAF/50  CHE/30  USA/52  
2003   AUS/57  CAN/57  CUB/36  EEC/50   JPN/125  & Corr.1  NZL/40  NOR/42   ZAF/56  CHE/39 & Corr.1  USA/56  
2004   AUS/60  CAN/67  CUB/36  EEC/56   JPN/125 & Corr.1  NZL/45/Rev.1  NOR/44   ZAF/60  CHE/39  & Corr.1  USA/65  
2005   AUS/68  CAN/72  CUB/36  EEC/56   JPN/144  NZL/56 & Corr.1  NOR/44   ZAF/67  CHE/39 & Corr.1  USA/65  
2006   AUS/71  CAN/81  CUB/34  EU/1  JPN/145  NZL/56  & Corr.1  NOR/44   ZAF/69  CHE/53  USA/65  
2007   AUS/75  & Corr.1  CAN/88  CUB/34  EU/2  JPN/145  NZL/60  NOR/54/Rev.1   ZAF/72  CHE/53  USA/76  
2008   AUS/81  CAN/93  CUB/38  EU/3  JPN/160  NZL/60  NOR/54/Rev.1   ZAF/72  CHE/53  USA/76  
2009   AUS/84  CAN/93  CUB/41  EU/4  JPN/172  NZL/68  NOR/60   ZAF/82  CHE/64  USA/83  
2010   AUS/93  CAN/100  CUB/43  EU/15   JPN/180  NZL/71  NOR/62   ZAF/82  CHE/64  USA/90  
2011   AUS/93  CAN/100  CUB/46  EU/15   JPN/199  NZL/77  NOR/68   ZAF/82  CHE/64  USA/97 & 
Corr.1  
2012   AUS/93   CUB/46  EU/21   JPN/229 NZL/82  NOR/70   ZAF/82  CHE/76  USA/98  
2013   AUS/98  CAN/115  CUB/48  EU/21  IDN/48 
& Corr.1 JPN/229 NZL/95  NOR/79   ZAF/82  CHE/76  USA/105/Rev.1  
2014   AUS/105  CAN/115  CUB/55  EU/27  IDN/49 
& Corr.1 JPN/229  NZL/95  NOR/84  RUS/7  ZAF/89  CHE/76  USA/113  
2015   AUS108   CUB/55  EU/32  IDN/50  JPN/229  NZL/95  NOR/88  RUS/14   CHE/81 & Corr.1  USA/116  
2016     CUB/55  EU/42  IDN/51  JPN/229  NZL/101  NOR/93  RUS/17   CHE/85  USA/119  
2017     CUB/56      NOR/100  RUS/20   CHE/86   
Note:  A blank cell indicates that no notification was received for the reporting year concerned.  An annual NF notification requirement is applicable only when actions within the 
framework of the NFIDC Decision are taken in the relevant year. A "nil return" is not required in the absence of such actions . 
 Annual reporting periods ("year" ) differ among  Members.  Notification sy mbols in the table refer to notifi cations in the G/AG/N/ -- series.  
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