Agri exporters meet for trade talks

INDONESIA: Ministers and officials from 19 farm exporting countries are set to meet in Indonesia on Sunday to give impetus to world trade talks amid the global economic slump, officials said. The Cairns Group of major agricultural exporters including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia and South Africa are expected to focus on harmful export subsidies paid by rich countries and growing signs of protectionism.

The ministers are hoping to provide a political boost to concluding the world trade talks, said Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean, who will chair the meeting.

"This meeting will send a strong political message on the need to fight protectionism and conclude World Trade Organization negotiations," Crean said in a statement ahead of the talks.

"Now is the time for political engagement if we are going to drive the Doha Round to a successful conclusion.

"Only concluding the Doha Round can eradicate market-distorting subsidies such as dairy export subsidies that have re-emerged this year."

The moves undermine commitments from the stalled Doha round of World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks to eliminate all export subsidies by 2013.

The Doha round of talks, which started at the end of 2001 in the Qatari capital, aims to boost international commerce by removing trade barriers and subsidies.

Nusa Dua, Monday, AFP