India has reiterated its stand of protecting its food security concerns before agreeing to any market access demands in the on-going negotiations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The Cabinet committee on WTO, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, met on Thursday to approve India's negotiating strategy for the WTO General Council meet next month which is expected to arrive at an agreement on a framework of modalities for negotiations in agriculture and non-agriculture. The Cabinet nod comes ahead of the United Nations Conference on Trade & Development (Unctad XI) meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil, beginning on September 13, where the forthcoming GC meeting will be the focus of discussions. India will also participate in the meeting of the G-20 alliance of developing countries which includes India, China, Brazil and Argentina, among others, and the meeting of the non-group-five (NG-5) comprising the US, the EU, Australia, India and Brazil, in Sao Paulo before the beginning of the Unctad meet. "The mandate is that our food security should be fully guarded before giving any market access on farm products," commerce and industry minister Kamal Nath told reporters after the meeting of the Cabinet committee on WTO.Financial Express:
