Following a critical meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on Agriculture in Special Session on November 21, the Chair of the agriculture negotiations, Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussain (Pakistan), issued a strong call to members to urgently transform emerging ideas into formal submissions to ensure a meaningful outcome on agriculture and food security at the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) in March 2026.
Many members at the November 21 meeting stressed that agriculture and food security must be top priorities at MC14, emphasizing that securing an outcome is essential to demonstrating the WTO’s relevance in addressing global challenges.
Ambassador Hussain welcomed the ideas presented but expressed cautious optimism. He warned that without new submissions that reconcile differences among members, his report to the General Council in mid-December could state that the essential building blocks for an MC14 agriculture package are missing.
Echoing the “Geneva First” principle—that substantive work should be completed in Geneva before being sent to ministers—the Chair has scheduled another meeting for December 8. This meeting is strategically planned ahead of the mid-December General Council, where members are expected to agree on the topics to present to ministers at MC14.
The Chair urged delegations to intensify their efforts by submitting new proposals and inputs before the December 8 meeting to lay the groundwork for an MC14 outcome on agriculture.
Delegations reaffirmed the importance of maintaining a focus on agriculture reform and food security. Key areas of discussion and updates included:
Public Stockholding (PSH) for Food Security: Developing economies, including the African Group and the Group of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), called for swift progress on adopting a permanent solution on PSH. They view this as a critical tool to address food insecurity. Current rules count government support for food bought at administered prices toward limits on trade-distorting support, and members continue to debate amending these rules to account for inflation or addressing them alongside other unresolved issues.
Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM): Several developing economies also called for agreement on an effective SSM, which would allow them to temporarily raise tariffs in the event of a sudden price drop or surge in import volumes.
Market Access and Reform: The Cairns Group and the African Group reported on their collaboration on a proposal aimed at broader reform to create a fairer and more predictable agricultural trading system. Agricultural exporting economies continue to refine a proposal for a realistic step forward on improved market access at MC14.
Export Restrictions: A group of food-importing economies emphasized the need for more effective provisions on export restrictions on foodstuffs to enhance transparency and market predictability.
Targeted Deliverables: Members suggested that MC14 could consider a targeted set of deliverables to help vulnerable economies address food security. Potential outcomes mentioned included measures to reduce the impact of export restrictions on food imports by vulnerable economies, enhanced support for the cotton value chain (including market access for LDCs), technical assistance for boosting agricultural production, and steps to facilitate the purchase of food for public stocks in the most vulnerable economies.
Despite the collaborative efforts, one member expressed concern that discussions thus far have not shown an emerging convergence around possible MC14 agriculture outcomes. Participants underscored the need to take all members’ priorities and concerns into account in a balanced and comprehensive manner.
