WT/MIN(13)/ST/22  
4 December 2013  
(13-6658)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR ANAND SHARMA  
MINISTER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY 
INDIA 
India congratulates Indonesia and Minister Gita Wirjawan for hosting the 9th Ministerial Conference 
of the WTO in Bali. We acknowledge and appreciate the leadership of DG.  India welcomes the newly acceded Members. The pr ogress in accessions over the last few years is 
an affirmation of our faith in the multilateral trading system. 
 F or ove r 12  ye ars , we  have  s trugg le d to b ring  the complex negotiations of the Doha Round to 
conclusion. The continuing stalemate has led to frustration and cynicism when this was the only 
round dedicated to development.  
We have a shared responsibility in preserving the credibility of the WTO as a negotiating forum.   
India has remained sincerely and constructively engaged in the challenging negotiations in Geneva. A candid evaluation of the proposed package is required. We firmly believe that a package at Bali must be substantive with demonstrable horizontal balance. 
 
We have a half-baked agricultural package, st atements of pious intent for Least Developed 
Countries (LDCs) and several unresolved issues in the trade facilitation agenda. 
 
Most of the texts that are before us are ostensibly for the benefit of developing countries. In reality, on issues including cotton subsidies, export competition, monitoring mechanism and DFQF, 
the draft texts contain mere statements of intent  with best endeavour provisions. Even in trade 
facilitation, while financial support for LDCs and some developing countries was considered a core element since the commencement of the negotiations, it has now been diluted with only a weak and non-binding reference in the footnotes. 
 
None of these texts require the developed countries to make binding commitments for the benefit of developing countries. In contrast, developing countries would be required to undertake 
significant commitments in trade facilitation. If this imbalance in the Bali package is not redressed, 
the world at large would accuse all of us of coll ectively making hollow promises and keeping the 
tank empty on development content. 
 
Historical imbalances in trade rules must be corre cted to ensure a rule-based, fair and equitable 
order.  
The Doha Round, with its strong development mandate, unambiguously recognized the centrality 
of food security, livelihood security, and rural development in trade negotiations. It acknowledged 
the inherent imbalance and asymmetries in trade rules, and promised to correct historical 
distortions. 
 Agriculture sustains millions of subsistence farmers.  Their interests must be secured. Food security 
is essential for over 4 billion people. I recall the wo rds of Mahatma Gandhi "There are people in the 
world so hungry that God cannot appear to them ex cept in the form of bread". Unlike other areas, 
the "survival" aspect of agriculture far outweighs any of its "commercial" aspects.  WT/MIN(13)/ST/22 
 
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  A trade agreement must be in harmony with our shared commitments of eliminating hunger and 
ensuring the right to food. These are an integral part of the MDGs.  For India food security is non-negotiable. Governme nts of all developing nations have a legitimate 
obligation and moral commitment towards food and livelihood security of hundreds of millions of 
their hungry and poor.  
Public procurement at administered prices is often the only method of supporting farmers and 
building stocks for food security in developing countr ies. Need of public stockholding of food grains 
to ensure food security must be respected. Dated WTO rules need to be corrected. The G-33 
proposal was mooted precisely for this purpose. 
 
The G-33 proposal provides a constructive and credib le basis for moving forward on this issue. The 
due restraint provision, in its current form, cannot be accepted as it has several shortcomings. It is 
only temporary with no assurance of a permanent solution and, moreover, does not provide 
protection from challenge under the Agreement on  Subsidies and Countervailing Measures. It must 
remain in force till we reach a negotiated permanent solution and provide adequate protection 
from all kinds of challenge. 
 We appreciate the collaborative efforts for putting in place a new Trade Facilitation Agreement. India has remained constructively engaged. We have played a crucial role in resolving several 
complex issues. Yet, a few contentious issues rema in. In a spirit of constructive engagement, we 
have even lowered our ambition in the field of Customs Cooperation, which was one of our key demands in these negotiations. The same spirit has, however, been sadly missing in the positions 
of some of the members from the developed world. 
 On a few issues of grave concern to India an d many other WTO members, the text on trade 
facilitation has eluded consensus. Till these issues are successfully resolved, it may not be possible 
for us to collectively reach a balanced agreement. We consider it premature to lend support to an inconclusive TF agreement.  
However, India remains optimistic on a balanced and successful conclusion of the trade facilitation 
negotiations and its entry into force in accordance with Article X.3 of the Marrakesh Agreement.   
The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) must also get their rightful share in global trade. India 
strongly supports a meaningful outcome for LDCs. The current texts for LDCs are rather disappointing. Most of them contain hollow promises. For instance, in Duty Free Quota Free 
(DFQF) what is being offered is less than what was mandated in the Hong Kong Ministerial 
Declaration of 2005. However, in a spirit of constructive engagement, India endorses the texts proposed on the five LDC issues.  
I bring with me the mandate of my Government to expand the coverage of Duty Free Quota Free 
market access for LDCs to 96.2% of Indian tariff lines.  
India has been an unwavering votary of multilateralism. The Doha Round is the litmus test for us. 
We must agree on a firm post-Bali work programme to conclude the DDA. Any other approach runs the risk of damaging the credibility of the multilateral trading system. 
 
Mr. Chairman, we are confident that with you as Chairman of this Ministerial Conference, the decision-making process will be transparent and inclusive.   
Let Bali be remembered for bringing development back into focus.  
 
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