Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino defended the need for free and rules-based agricultural trade at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Wednesday (11.09.2024). At the same time, she addressed the distortions affecting the agricultural sector and underlined the high competitiveness of the Argentine agricultural sector.
Diana Mondino participated this Wednesday at the headquarters of the WTO, in the Swiss city of Geneva, in the Public Forum 2024,an event that every year brings together specialists from around the world to analyze the situation of the multilateral trading system, where he spoke at the high-level panel "Harvesting inclusivity: rethinking agricultural trade", according to the official statement from the Ministry.
On this occasion, Mondino reaffirmed the Argentina's support for free and fair agricultural trade, underpinned by an open, stable and rules-based multilateral systemHowever, the minister expressed Argentina's concern about the stagnation of agricultural negotiations at the WTO, stressing that, despite the historic 2015 decision on export subsidies, no significant progress has been made in the last 30 years.The agricultural sector remains highly distorted"He noted, stressing that tariffs on agricultural products are almost twice as high as those on industrial goods, and that non-tariff measures disproportionately affect agricultural trade.
Mondino also stressed that agricultural subsidies promote inefficiency and hinder efforts to achieve global food security. “We demand free trade because we are sure that it will help to alleviate the food deficit and surplus around the world."He said, adding that practices of selling agricultural products below the cost of production and restricting market access harm low-income countries.
Competitiveness of Argentine agriculture
Mondino took advantage of the space to highlight the high competitiveness of the Argentine agricultural sector, mentioning that the country is a leader in the adoption of cutting-edge technologies in precision agriculture. Argentina has implemented advanced tools such as Direct seeding, crop and soil monitoring, and environmental management intelligence, which has improved the productivity and sustainability of agriculture. “These innovations allow us to produce more with less, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said the foreign minister, adding that the country is committed to the efficient use of resources to face the challenges of climate change.
Referring to the approach to the negotiations, Mondino noted the tendency to seek partial solutions or “mini-packages”, urging WTO members to adopt a more ambitious vision that includes trade liberalisation and the elimination of distortions. “Another Ministerial Conference without results in agriculture is unacceptable,” he said.
The panel, moderated by former EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, also included the participation of Beth Bechdol, Assistant Director-General of FAO; Inu Manak, researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR); and Andrea Porro, Secretary-General of the World Farmers' Organization.
At the end of the event, Foreign Minister Mondino held a meeting with the Deputy Director General of the WTO, Angela Ellard. During the meeting, "both officials discussed trade facilitation, harmful subsidies to fishing and the settlement of trade disputes, in addition to stressing the importance of reducing tariff barriers to promote trade in goods and services," the official information detailed.
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