WTO deal will not hit food security programme: Government

NEW DELHI: Government insisted in Parliament that the deal reached at WTO talks in Bali recently would have no adverse impact on foodgrain procurement in India or the food security programme after Opposition expressed apprehensions over it.

Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha feared that the deal would expose India's Food Security programme, which is still being rolled out, to international scrutiny.

Allaying Opposition's apprehensions, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said nothing in the agreement impinges on India's food security programme for the poor and vulnerable sections of society, which is very much part of India's sovereign space.

He said it was for the government to decide at what price it would procure food stocks from farmers and the WTO has no jurisdiction over the decision.

"It is our decision nobody can tell us," he said, responding to clarifications sought by Opposition on his statement made in Parliament.

The minimum support price (MSP) of crops, he said, cannot be lowered, it will go up and nobody can interfere.

Earlier, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley wanted to know from the Minister if the agreement would adversely impact the Food Security Act.

Jaitely pointed out India would be spending Rs 1.25 lakh crore on the food security and there are also additional subsidies for fertilizers and transportation among others.

Sharma said as per the interim agreement, until a permanent solution is found, members will be protected against challenge in the WTO under the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) in respect of public stock-holding programmes for food security purposes.

There is an apprehension that once India implements its food security plan completely, it may breach the 10 per cent subsidy cap under the WTO's AoA.