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WTO director-general, Pascal Lamy

Reduction in tariff protection in South Asian agriculture has been the primary cause of import surge, leading to fall in employment in farm activities, lowering of returns to farmers and increased levels of poverty in rural areas.

Over the next two weeks, Korean and U.S. trade negotiators plan to meet behind closed doors with hopes of reaching an agreement on the KorUS FTA before March 31 deadline.

Agriculture here is a life and death issue. Scores of farmers have committed suicide in recent years because of crop failures and falling prices.

Trade ministers of the Group-of-33 developing-country coalition - which is seeking enhanced flexibilities for 'special products' and a 'special safeguard mechanism' in the Doha Development Agenda farm trade negotiations - repeated yesterday the negotiating mandate on 'special products' does not require developing countries to provide any compensation including through tariff-quota commitments

California based Ventria Bioscience has been given preliminary approval to grow a rice containing human genes on 3000 acres in Kansas.

A meeting of G33 developing nations should help the chances of success in the Doha trade round, but convergence among all groups is needed by end-April, European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said today.

During Bush

Rich nations must give ground to help global free trade talks make progress, India's trade minister said on Wednesday.

Indonesia does not expect a breakthrough on global free trade talks at a meeting of G33 countries on Wednesday, but developing nations aimed to 'really push' to make progress, the country's trade minister said.