The Committee on Agriculture recently convened to discuss a range of issues, including agricultural market developments, food security, and technology transfer. The meeting was chaired by Ms. Anna Leung from Hong Kong, China.
Updates were provided by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Grains Council (IGC) on recent market trends and food insecurity. These organizations were invited to share their experiences as part of ongoing efforts following several international declarations and decisions.
The FAO highlighted increasing food insecurity in its "Hunger Hotspot Report," which anticipates a rise in acute food insecurity across 22 countries between November 2024 and May 2025. It stressed the challenges faced by net food-importing developing countries due to adverse weather, conflict, and economic shocks. The FAO called for improved transparency in food markets through initiatives like the Agricultural Market Information System.
The WFP reported that 343 million people globally faced acute food insecurity in 2024, with 44 million in urgent need and 2 million experiencing famine-like conditions, notably in Gaza and Sudan. It advocated for immediate solutions such as increased funding and better humanitarian access.
The IGC introduced two initiatives aimed at enhancing global food security: the Food Assistance Convention (FAC) and the Grains Trade Convention (GTC). The FAC has expanded its scope to include cash-based support, while the GTC focuses on transparent grain trade practices.
Committee members also reviewed Egypt's proposal on enhancing transparency for technical and financial assistance to least developed countries (LDCs) and net food-importing developing countries (NFIDCs).
During discussions on agricultural policies, members raised 243 questions concerning individual notifications and specific implementation matters. New topics included Angola's import policies, Australia's smart agriculture initiative, Bangladesh's meat import policies, Brazil's farm support policies, Canada's food security fund, China's assistance project, EU farm support measures, France's aid for organic farms, Ghana's export restrictions on soybeans, India's subsidies for cotton and soybeans among others.
A counter-notification was presented by the United States regarding India's Market Price Support for rice and wheat during 2021/22 and 2022/23. Several members supported this counter-notification as a means to address systemic issues within India's agricultural policies.
Members also discussed ongoing reviews related to the Nairobi Decision on Export Competition from 2024. A draft report is being finalized through a written procedure set to conclude by December 13th unless objections arise.
In terms of technology transfer discussions held earlier this month were summarized positively with suggestions made towards more targeted discussions within WTO frameworks going forward into next year’s meetings scheduled March next year