INDIAN AGRICULTURE AND THE WTO: DEVELOPMENTAL AGENDA AND CHALLENGES

Branda Rodrigues

Lecturer in Economics 

Manoj S. Kamat

Lecturer in Commerce

INTRODUCTION

The advent of the World Trade Organization, a new International Economic Order for world trade, has shifted the locus of economic decision-making from central political and economic constructs to the ‘New Integrated’ world. In India, agriculture is not a trade but a way of life. Nearly two-thirds of the population depends on agriculture and therefore there is no question of their freedom being restricted. Food security and food self-sufficiency are not matters that can be negotiated. But the new trade regime has encompassed the entire economic spectrum of all developed and developing nations. The results of the various negotiations are referred to as diplomatically engineered methodologies for creating frontiers of developmental thinking. This emerging developmental and integrated landscape demands creation and implementation of programs. Inclusion of agriculture trade in the GATT-WTO order stands out as a serious issue for a developing nation like India. The new scenario is characterized by several development initiatives in the agricultural sector and the changing role of the Indian government in providing necessary support (product-specific as well as general) to Indian farmers.

IMPORTANCE OF INDIAN AGRICULTURE 
Agriculture forms the backbone of the Indian economy. This sector contributes to the Indian economy in a variety of ways:

• It provides direct employment to 65% of working people in the country and contributes about 29% of GDP of the country. In advanced nations like the US, agriculture accounts for a mere 2% of GDP, and employs 4% of the total labour force. The position is similar in other advanced countries. For example, agriculture contributed 2% of GDP in France with 6% share in labour force; in Germany the contribution of agriculture to GDP was 1% with 3% share in labour force. The corresponding figures for UK were 2% and 3% (World Bank 2000).
• Agriculture also provides the foodgrains to feed the large population of the country.
• Indian agriculture is an important source of supply of raw materials to industries in the country.
• Agriculture contributes a sizeable share in India’s exports.
• Besides, it provides fodder for the large cattle population.
• Being the largest source of employment and income to millions of people, it provides a vast market for our industrial products.

The country has made significant improvements in agricultural production, but the achievements have been mainly confined to a few areas. The major challenges for our agriculture system would always be increasing production and productivity to ensure food security for the rising population. Meeting this challenge means also ensuring food security and a better standard of living for the rural people. India’s performance in agriculture affects overall rural development and the extent of rural poverty. Therefore, the performance of the economy is crucially dependent upon that of agriculture.

WTO AGREEMENT ON AGRICULTURE
For the first time, agriculture was brought under the world trading system in the Uruguay Round of negotiations, which concluded in Marrakesh in April 1994. The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) was one of the many agreements that were negotiated during the Uruguay Round. Most assessments of the agreement hail it as a historic shift in the way it establishes new multilateral rules governing market access, domestic support and export subsidies for agriculture. In terms of future trade liberalization, its most important provisions may be those requiring the elimination of Quantitative Trade Restrictions and their conversion to sound tariffs. These sound tariffs, even though extremely high, can provide a starting point for future negotiations of tariff reduction.

The AoA has three basic clauses:

A. Market Access commitment requires conversion of all non-tariff barriers into equivalent tariff barriers. Ordinary tariffs including those resulting from tariffication of non-tariff barriers are to be reduced by an average of 36% with minimum rate of reduction of 15% for each tariff item over a 6-year period. Developing countries are required to reduce tariffs by 24% in 10 years. Developing countries that were maintaining Quantitative Restrictions due to Balance of Payments problems were allowed to offer ceiling bindings instead of tariffication. It was also been stipulated that minimum access equal to 3% of domestic consumption in 1986-88 should be established by the year 1995 rising to 5% at the end of the implementation period.

B. Domestic Support to agriculture was also to be reduced considerably in countries where the aggregate measure of support exceeded the level specified in the member schedule. The limit for developed and developing countries was fixed at 5% and 10% of the total value of agricultural output respectively. There are three categories of support measures that are not subject to reduction under the agreement, they are:

i. Green Box Measures: Policies that have minimum impact on the patterns of production and flow of trade.
ii. Blue Box Measures: These measures include direct payment to the farmers for production limiting programme and are relevant only from the point of view of the developed countries.
iii. Amber Box Measures: These are the most important measures from the point of view of producers in developing countries.
C. Export Subsidies are also to be reduced. The Agreement contains provisions regarding members’ commitment to reduce export subsidies. Developed countries are required to reduce their export subsidy expenditure by 36 per cent and volume by 21 per cent in six years, in equal installments from 1986-1990 levels. For developing countries the corresponding cuts are 24 per cent and 14 per cent in equal annual installments spread over ten years. The least developed countries are not subject to any reduction commitments.

CHALLENGES TO INDIAN AGRICULTURE 
The challenges before Indian agriculture are immense. India is not where it should have been in the world market for agricultural products despite being one of the top producers. The country needs to put greater emphasis on cultivation of international varieties. Until India takes some steps in this direction, it will continue to produce more only to earn less. The major challenges for Indian agriculture system would always be increasing production and productivity to ensure food security for the raising population.

While agricultural trade liberalization was justified on the grounds that Northern agricultural markets would open to India, India’s exports to Europe have actually declined from 13 to 6 per cent. This is because the North still maintains high subsidies and trade barriers. The WTO regime has become a challenge because it has shown that agriculture trade liberalization has become a unidirectional phenomenon that opens markets in the South for Northern business corporations but closes markets in the North for trade from South. Such trade will destroy livelihood opportunities for resource-poor farming families and agricultural labour.

As far as India is concerned there are some danger signals. Population growth rate and higher per capita income suggest that demand for foodgrains is growing. But there are doubts about the supply response. In terms of acreage, area under foodgrains has not increased. Yield growth rates of food grains are also stagnating in most parts of the country. The productivity of soil has also started declining. The underground water table in most Indian states is getting rapidly depleted. Based on these facts, various studies have pointed out that India will be a net importer of rice in the near future.

In such a competitive environment, India should be prepared to meet the challenges that are detrimental to the interests of her people.

SUGGESTIONS
The farmers have felt the heat of WTO and the challenges posed by international competitors in the last three years. Cases of suicides by farmers have been reported from many States. Agricultural prices are drastically falling. Farmers have been kept out of market by the pricing policies pursued by the government in terms of the minimum support prices of food grains and the issue prices in Public Distribution System. Apart from seeking better deals from WTO so as to support domestic measures adopted for poverty alleviation and rural employment, policy measures need to be taken to strengthen the agricultural sector to safeguard the interests of the farming community.

Listed below are some suggestions to meet the challenges facing Indian agriculture
a. There is a need to formulate a consistent policy for exports of agricultural products and       processed products in which the country has a comparative advantage.
b. Anti-dumping safeguard measures must be evoked in time to control imports of      agricultural products, if so warrants.
c. Agriculture Research and Extension should be revamped so as to meet the challenges.
d. Crop rotation system should be promoted to increase the fertility of the soil and improve       the cash flow of the farming community.
e. More investment in latest technology and rural infrastructure especially in irrigation      system so as to utilize fully the already available irrigation potential.
f. Provide better incentives to farmers to increase the farm productivity and quality      standards.
g. Ensure adequate credit support and crop insurance to the farmers.
h. To reduce the cost of production by cultivation of hybrids and adopting integrated pest      management strategies.

CONCLUSION
Under the existing circumstances, the liberalization of world trade in agriculture will benefit developed countries more than developing countries. Given the conditions of high tariffs in the developed world and low or nil tariffs in developing countries, the removal of Quantitative Restrictions on agricultural commodities will tilt the balance of global trade in favour of the developed nations with detrimental effects on the producers in Third World countries. India must be alert to the implications of the WTO and its policies, and decide its own national priorities while taking policy decisions in the future. It is our duty not only to protect our national interest but also to promote it so as to take advantage of the situation. The situation is inescapable but there is scope to manipulate it in the national interest.