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Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Sep25/10) Geneva, 17 Sep (D. Ravi Kanth) — The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) appears to have engaged the Washington-based non-governmental organization, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), to present a report titled “Market Price Support (MPS) Calculator in the Context of Public Stockholding Programs for Food Security” on 24 September 2025. The meeting on public stockholding (PSH) for food security purposes, scheduled to be held one day after the regular Doha agriculture negotiating body meeting on PSH and related issues, has reportedly caused considerable alarm among developing countries, according to sources familiar with the development. It remains unclear who will present the findings of the IFPRI study at the regular meeting, as no member has been briefed on the report’s contents – or even been informed as to why the Director-General commissioned the study without prior consultation with WTO members, said three trade envoys who requested anonymity. “In a member-driven organization, the act of bringing in a non-governmental organization at the behest of the DG to influence negotiations on a permanent solution for PSH is somewhat incompatible with the established rules,” said one trade envoy, speaking on condition of anonymity. Developing countries are also reportedly concerned that they have not been provided with a copy of IFPRI’s report in advance, leaving them unable to prepare adequately for the meeting on 24 September, said another trade envoy. In an email sent to members on 20 August 2025 – reviewed by the SUNS – members were notified to “SAVE THE DATE: 24 September 2025 – Presentation: “Market Price Support (MPS) Calculator in the Context of Public Stockholding Programs: A Tool for Evidence-Based Dialogue,” developed by IFPRI in collaboration with the FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization).” Furthermore, IFPRI’s findings are being viewed by some as an alleged attempt to derail progress toward a permanent solution for PSH – a process that has been stalled since the WTO’s eleventh ministerial conference (MC11) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December 2017, according to diplomatic sources. At the most recent WTO’s 13th ministerial conference (MC13), which concluded in Abu Dhabi on 2 March 2024, the delay in reaching an agreement on the permanent solution for PSH reportedly led to a heated exchange between India’s commerce minister, Mr. Piyush Goyal, and WTO Director-General Ms. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who was perceived as being reluctant to broker a deal, according to people familiar with the closed-door discussions. The United States and members of the Cairns Group of farm-exporting countries vehemently opposed the permanent solution during the “green room” negotiations in Abu Dhabi, contributing to the reported collapse of MC13, sources said. It remains unclear whether the DG has discussed the IFPRI study – or its findings – with the trade ministers from the G33 group, led by Indonesia, which has been leading the negotiations to secure a permanent solution for PSH and a Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) for developing countries, according to informed sources. The draft decision on PSH, prepared for MC13 by the former chair of the Doha agriculture negotiating body, Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Turkiye, offered members two options: “PUBLIC STOCKHOLDING FOR FOOD SECURITY PURPOSES (PSH) [Pursuant to the Bali Ministerial Decision (WT/MIN(13)/38-WT/L/913), the General Council Decision (WT/L/939), and Nairobi Ministerial Decision (WT/MIN(15)/44-WT/L/979), Members adopt a permanent solution as set out in Annex […] to this Decision.] OR [Pursuant to Bali Ministerial Decision (WT/MIN(13)/38-WT/L/913), the General Council Decision (WT/L/939), and the Nairobi Ministerial Decision (WT/MIN(15)/44-WT/L/979), Members undertake to pursue and intensify negotiations on PSH in Dedicated Sessions of the CoA-SS and agree and adopt a permanent solution on the issue of public stockholding for food security purposes by MC14, which shall be available to all developing country Members. Public stockholding programmes shall not distort trade or adversely affect the food security of other Members. The negotiations for a permanent solution shall pay particular attention to the food security challenges of LDCs and NFIDCs, and consider all relevant issues, including domestic food security targets of the programmes; product coverage; safeguards and anti-circumvention, including with respect to exports; transparency; and legal certainty. They shall also consider the impact of inflation on calculations of the Aggregate Measurement of Support. [Taking into account the acute food security challenges and vulnerabilities of developing country Members, in particular LDCs [and NFIDCs], Members agree to extend, until [MC14], the Bali Interim Solution established by the Ministerial Decision of 7 December 2013 (WT/MIN(13)/38-WT/L/913) and the General Council Decision of 27 November 2014 (WT/L/939) to public stockholding programmes for food security purposes of LDCs [and NFIDCs that are net importers of the product concerned] enacted after 7 December 2013. The General Council shall regularly review progress in these negotiations.]” DEDICATED SESSION Meanwhile, the current chair of the Doha agriculture negotiations, Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussein of Pakistan, informed members in a communication (ICN/AG/TN/26) dated 30 June 2025 – and following a decision to allow additional time for member engagement – that the next informal meeting of the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session (CoA-SS), along with Dedicated Sessions on PSH and SSM, will be held on 23 September 2025. The chair has structured the agenda as follows: his report on consultations regarding the way forward in the agriculture negotiations; and two presentations by the WTO Secretariat: (I) The history of market access negotiations at the GATT/WTO; (ii) Market access for agricultural products in Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). This will be followed by a Q&A session and discussion on: introduction of new inputs or submissions (if any) and follow-up comments; and updates by Members on ongoing consultations and views on the way forward and expectations for MC14. The Dedicated Session on PSH will include: introduction of new inputs or submissions (if any) and related follow-up comments; and updates by Members on ongoing consultations on PSH and views on the way forward and expectations for MC14. Subsequently, a Dedicated Session on SSM will also be held. The chair noted that the Secretariat’s presentation will review information collected through the Transparency Mechanism for RTAs, covering tariff and trade liberalization, tariff rate quotas, special safeguards, tariff simplification, and tariff peaks – and will also include data on tariff escalation. He said that it is his intention “to cover the entire agenda on 23 September 2025. However, if for any reason we are unable to do that, the meetings will continue on a further day.” It remains unclear whether the chair will introduce or reference the IFPRI study during the following day’s meeting (on 24 September), according to trade envoys who requested anonymity. +
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