Successful Farming | March 6, 2002 | By Cheryl Tevis, Farm Business Editor
Negotiators at the Uruguay Round on Agriculture would like to improve on the seven-year time span of the last WTO agreement, but a new WTO agreement faces formidable obstacles and delays.
"The whole idea is to be done in about four years," says Robert Thompson, senior advisor, agricultural trade policy, The World Bank. "But March 2003 is aggressive timetable. I think it's likely to be delayed."
Thompson says there are three reasons for the delay:
(1) The U.S. is not in a leadership position this time. "The administration talks a good line, but Congress is not giving it enough rope," Thompson says. "The EU is wearing the white hat. The U.S. is in a black one."
(2) Low commodity prices make trade expansion a hard sell "It's easier if commodity prices are higher, then there's less pain in opening markets up," he says.
(3) Developing countries may drag their feet. "The majority of WTO countries are developing countries," Thompson says. "There better be something for them, or there will be no agreement."
He concludes, "There will be gains and losses. For the future of world security, we need to secure a free and more open trade environment, with compensation for losers."Successful Farming:
