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Provisions of WTO accords on agriculture examined
ISLAMABAD (January 18 2003) : The Standing Committee on Agreement on Agriculture met on Friday under the chairmanship of Dr Abdul Salam. The committee examined the provisions of WTO agreements on agriculture for implementation; to evaluate the present tariffs/non-tariff commitments on agreements on agriculture.
It also evaluated market access, export competition, domestic support, special and differential treatment for developing countries, non-trade concerns and made recommendations.
The committee will also make recommendations for policy on agriculture and negotiations under WTO Agreement on agriculture etc. Similar meetings of the other Standing Committees in Trips and Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary Measures are being organised, so as to gear up the Minfal to meet Pakistan's obligations in the Agricultural Sector, under WTO agreements.
A special WTO Cell headed by Joint Secretary (Food), Zaheer Ahmed has also been created in the Minfal to oversee the progress in Agricultural and Food related issues to WTO.
The Ministry is also keeping in touch with the WTO Watch Group, which has been set up by some of the civil society groups (NGOs).
Under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) commitments, Pakistan signed following three agreements related to Food, Agriculture and Livestock commodities trade in 1994 through Ministry of Commerce being the focal point.
These agreements included on Agriculture, Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary Measures (SPS)/Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (Trips).
Courtesy Business Recorder
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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