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4 - AGRICULTURE IN THE DOHA ROUND

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2010

Richard E. Mshomba
Affiliation:
La Salle University, Philadelphia
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Summary

the agricultural sector is the most important economic sector in Africa. It was brought under the WTO in 1995, when the Agreement on Agriculture took effect. The Agreement's objectives are, ostensibly, to increase market access and to reduce domestic support and export subsidies. Given how much leeway countries were given, though, it was clear early on that no significant liberalization could be expected. Further negotiations would have to take place to set the agricultural sector en route to more meaningful liberalization.

The Doha Round of negotiations was launched at the WTO Ministerial Conference in 2001 with this in mind. It was launched with the hope of bringing the agricultural sector into greater harmony with the development objectives of developing countries. Two years earlier, the WTO had failed to produce a round of trade negotiations (in Seattle, Washington, U.S.), in part due to the dissatisfaction of developing countries. The Doha Round was declared to be a development round and, indeed, has come to be known by many as the “Doha Development Round.” This round was acceptable to African countries because of its uniquely explicit development agenda and its attention to agriculture.

Trade liberalization has typically been associated with development in an indirect way through its potential positive impact on economic growth. In the Doha Round, trade liberalization was to be guided directly by the development goals of developing countries. In the world of political rhetoric, it would appear that this was a significant achievement for developing countries.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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