IBON urges no expansion of agricultural liberalization at WTO December meet

Independent think-tank IBON Foundation urges government negotiators to resist further liberalization of the agricultural sector at the upcoming Ministerial of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), which regulates international trade in agriculture under the WTO, is set for renegotiation at the ministerial meeting in Hong Kong on December 13-18. Since much of the Third World remains dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, negotiations on further opening up the sector remain the main contentious issue in WTO talks.

According to IBON senior researcher Sonny Africa, the country