Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, April 16:

Experts have urged that trade justice should get a major focus at all levels, particularly in the context of a least developed country (LDC) like Nepal, in order to reap the benefits by a multilateral trading system. The participants at an interaction on ‘global week of action on trade: Nepali agriculture in the WTO era’, said that Nepal’s membership to the WTO now appears to be a serious concern at the policy as well as grassroots level because trade justice seems to have received little attention by the WTO. Expressing their grievances over unjust practices within the WTO such as unfair subsidy regime and undue tariff and non-tariff barriers by developed countries, they said that Nepal faces numerous challenges in terms of promoting its agricultural sector. “If we are late to respond to unjust trade practices and do take initiatives to correct them on time, we would hardly benefit from the WTO,” said Govinda Prasad Pandey, secretary, ministry of agriculture and cooperatives.

A book titled Implications of the WTO Membership on Nepali Agriculture was also released at the programme jointly organised by South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Nepal. Kajuyuki Tsurumi, FAO representative in Nepal, said that objectives of the book was to build capacity of government officials and various stakeholders to understand challenges posed by the WTO agreements on agriculture sector. “This would also prepare them to mitigate such challenges,” he added.

Laxman Gautam, while briefing about the book, said that the book covers a wide range of policy issues that should be scrutinised at the policy level. He also stressed that the government taskforce established for the purpose of tackling WTO affairs should be strengthened and also be supported by all stakeholders.

Prachanda Man Shrestha, joint secretary, ministry of industry, commerce and supplies, said that till date Nepal has made very little effort to protect and promote the agricultural sector. He opined the need to increase the capacity of farmers to produce and export, ensuring trade justice in the area of agricultural market. Importance of consumers’ interest in the market should also be duly considered. Ratnakar Adhikari, executive director, SAWTEE said that the programme was organised with the aim to highlight the injustices in the trade arena and to prepare a proactive stance on how to overcome them, in the interest of the masses. As part of the programme, a cartoon exhibition was also organised by National Alliance for Food Security-Nepal (NAFOS), a loose network of more than 20 civil society organisations. Fifteen cartoons, exposing various unjust trade practices, within the WTO system drew the attention of participations towards making efforts to correct them.