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<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Edgar SuIndia's trade minister Anand Sharma speaks about food security during a news conference at the ninth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Nusa Dua, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali December 5, 2013. </div></div></div>GENEVA/NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) - The first global trade reform since the creation of the World Trade Organization is ready for agreement by ministers from the body's 159 member countries later on Friday, sources involved in the talks said.
WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo has drafted a text that he will submit to the full membership, signaling that he believes he has found terms that are acceptable to all members, including India which had raised vocal objections over agriculture.
Barring any last-minute veto, the deal aims to slash red tape at customs around the world, give improved terms of trade to the poorest countries, and allow developing countries to skirt the normal rules on farm subsidies if they are trying to feed the poor.
It would also revive confidence in the WTO's ability to negotiate global trade deals, after a string of failures that left the body at risk of sliding into irrelevance.
"We are very close," WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell told reporters at the meeting on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. "As things stand now, the prospects are promising."
Just a day earlier, a deal that would add hundreds of billions of dollars to the world economy by some estimates teetered on the brink of collapse.
In an organization based on consensus among all of its members, attention focused squarely on India as the main stumbling block to the WTO's first global trade deal in two decades.
India has insisted it would not compromise on a policy of subsidizing food for hundreds of millions of poor, putting it at odds with the United States and other developed countries.
Azevedo, a former Brazilian trade negotiator, told delegates at the start of the last day of talks that there was more work to be done, but sounded upbeat on prospects for success.
"He told members they were now very close to something that has eluded us for many years and that the decisions over the next few hours would have great significance beyond this day," the spokesman said.
It is 12 years since the WTO launched the Doha Round, which failed to yield concrete results, and many experts had warned that failure in Bali would leave regional and bilateral trade arrangements as the only avenue for trade reform, dividing the world and reversing the globalizing goal of the WTO.
A Bali trade deal, which is far less ambitious than the Doha Round had aimed for up until two years ago, would open the way to much wider trade reforms and enable the body to modernize its rules for the internet era.
The "all or nothing" agreement covers several areas, the largest of which is trade facilitation - a global standardization and simplification of customs procedures that would tear down barriers to cross-border movement of goods.
The deal also includes limited reforms in agriculture, including reducing export subsidies, opening borders to least developed countries, and the food subsidy policy championed by India, which proved the biggest obstacle.
<h3>SEEKING JUSTICE FOR THE POOR</h3>
India, whose government faces the risk of losing elections next year, has said its tough stance drew support from developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America, though the meeting's host, Indonesia, pressed for it to soften its stand.
"We are trying to get justice for the poor people," Indian Trade Minister Anand Sharma told reporters as he entered the final day of the meeting.
India will next year fully implement a welfare program to provide cheap food to 800 million people that it fears will contravene WTO rules curbing farm subsidies to 10 percent of production.
The program, which relies on large-scale stockpiling and purchases at minimum prices, is a central plank of the government's bid to win a third term in office next year.
A proposal led by the United States offered to waive the 10 percent rule until 2017. But India has rejected it, demanding the exemptions continue indefinitely until a solution is found.
If talks were to fail, the WTO may see its role eroded by regional trade pacts now being negotiated, such as the U.S.-led 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership and a U.S.-EU tie-up known as the TTP.
Ministers in the TPP are expected to meet in Singapore shortly after the WTO meeting in the hopes of reaching a free trade pact by the end of this year.
(Editing by Jonathan Thatcher and Simon Cameron-Moore)

First Trade Reform In History Of The World Trade Organization Is Ready For Approval

NEW DELHI: The Modi government promises a 40% increase in the supply of heavily subsidised grain as it seeks to expand coverage under the food security law, a move that can inflate the subsidy bill and disappoint critics who thought the new regime would abandon UPA’s entitlement-based approach. 
 Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said monthly entitlement of 5 kg foodgrain per person under food security law was meagre. “The focus of the government will be on providing food security to all. With huge <keyword id="6354298" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="stocks">stocks</keyword> of grain in the country we want to increase monthly entitlement to 7 kg,” he told ET in an interview. He said the food law passed by the previous government was inadequate. 
 
“I feel the Food Security Act was prepared hurriedly. In my understanding during three months in government, it does not have clear concepts,” Paswan said. 
 
He said Modi himself, when he was chief minister of Gujarat, had observed that the grain provided under the Act was too less. 
 
Paswan was silent about the food subsidy bill, which is already projected to be Rs 1.15 lakh crore this year, but analysts said additional grain would cost a lot of money. 
 
Tejinder Narang, a Delhi-based analyst said the bill may rise by about 15% apart from starving the open market, which would raise prices. Pramod Joshi, director, International Food Policy Research Institute, said if the government is raising the quantity of susbsidised grain it would also be looking at steps like focusing on the poorest households and direct cash transfers subsidies following the campaign to open bank accounts. 
 The issue of food security came to the centre stage last year when <keyword id="689" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sonia-Gandhi">Sonia Gandhi</keyword> spearheaded the food security law in the last year of the UPA government. 
 
 
 It aims to give over 61 million tonnes of wheat, rice and coarse grains priced between Re 1 and Rs 3 per kg to 81 crore people. The law was seen as a key tool in the Congress party’s bid to be voted back to power but it was eventually trounced by Modi-led BJP. The <keyword id="58687" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Bharatiya-Janata-Party">Bharatiya Janata Party</keyword> had earlier showcased the food security apparatus in states ruled by the party as better solutions for combating hunger and deprivation. 
 Paswan said welfare of the people was a key priority and the Central government would not budge from its position despite international pressure to change its stance to facilitate an agreement under the <keyword id="84934" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="World-Trade-Organisation">World Trade Organisation</keyword> (WTO). Some analysts say the issue of food security may be raised during Modi’s visit to the US. Paswan said there was a huge difference in the mindset of a developing and developed country. 
 
“We are a welfare state and we have a public responsibility. We have to protect the interest of farmers and the poor man. Not just USA, but some of our own experts feel that subsidy should end,” he said. Paswan said it was a huge challenge to store grain and check leakages in transportation and distribution. 
 A high-powered committee under <keyword id="6358126" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Himachal-Pradesh">Himachal Pradesh</keyword> MP <keyword id="194696" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Shanta-Kumar">Shanta Kumar</keyword> would submit its report in three months on restructuring Food Corporation of India (FCI). 
 
He said there were numerous complaints about irregularities in the FCI, the biggest organisation under its ministry. “The first major problem is on damage. Products that come from FCI godown or from rakes is not of proper quality. Sometimes it doesn’t reach fair price shops or beneficiaries,” the food minister said. “It goes to the open market. Quality is only on paper, not physically. Sometimes, we find grain rotting in the open. There is nobody to buy it. If it has been bought, then it is not stored properly,” he added. 
 
“In the public distribution system, there so much 'dhandebazi' (corruption) irrespective of states. Wherever you go, you will not find the correct beneficiary’s names; there are problems in quality and quantity. We have started door-todoor delivery. Now with the usage of new technology like CCTV and GPS, we should be able to track trucks, storage position in grounds. We have to see how successful we are,” he said.

Narendra Modi-Led Government Promises 40% Increase In Supply Of Grain Under Food Law

In a knowledge-intense world, science plays a larger role than trade and commerce. But tied with the commercial perspective, science and engineering have undergone a sea change and we are now looking at innovations that offer great business value and mostly focus on enhancing <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword> and trade. This has led to a huge and significant change in the global science roadmap and technology-related economic activities, especially in the wake of severe economic downturn in the recent past, with its effects threatening to blow the countries apart. 
 
Intensive research, which started as a pure science activity and a fundamental extension of academic studies, has now taken the backseat. While this has caused enough worries and heartaches within the scientific community that believes in research for research’s sake, the business angle is forcing the fraternity to look at research as an activity that has to be justified and feasible in economic terms. Nowadays, what matters most is applied research, innovated further to ensure end commercial gains and patented to protect its intellectual value from duplication. 
 According to a recent report by the World <keyword id="388837" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="intellectual-property">Intellectual Property</keyword> Organization (WIPO), the US and China are leading the intellectual property space as they happen to be the driving forces behind international patent filing in a record-setting year in 2013. 
 The total number of filings under WIPO stood at 205,300, up 5% from the year before. And, what’s noteworthy is that while <keyword id="6355055" type="COUNTRY" weightage="40" keywordseo="USA">USA</keyword> and China are almost close in their race for Patent Cooperation Treaty, India emerges as a surprise third, being one of the largest user of the PCT system among low and middle-income countries. 
 With Obamacare coming into focus this year, the US has come under severe pressure to restrict pharma patents from being used by other countries. As of now, the <keyword id="67373" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="obama-administration">Obama administration</keyword> has withstood a great deal of pressure from the US business lobby. They somehow contained the situation from turning into another diplomatic embarrassment for both Washington and New Delhi. The US has kept India in its ‘priority watch list’ for the current year instead of further downgrading the country and categorising it as a ‘priority foreign country,’ which would have led to trade sanctions. 
 
Image: ThinkStock 
 
Needless to say, such discord mainly arises from economy-centred issues. Interestingly, the knowledge monopoly of the western countries is slowly fading and traditional knowledge-based countries such as India and China (mostly Asian nations) are vying for the top slot. Although the US remains among the top nations, with knowledge and technology-intensive industries to its credit, including some highly specific energy and pharmaceutical manufacturing, emerging economies are clearly giving it some tough competition. 
 
Emerging economies understand the role science and innovation play in the global marketplace and also in ensuring economic competitiveness. For them, the vision has slowly changed from being body shops to innovators. And ‘trade’ may soon become the next keyword instead of ‘aid.’ 
 While the US remains the single biggest investor in research and development, the annual global research spending in the country has significantly dropped from 37% to 30% in the recent years. That is why the country is slowly training its gun on nations such as India, which are among the biggest PCT consumers. Earlier this year, the US looked all set to announce trade enforcement action against India, as the <keyword id="48028" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="US-government">US government</keyword> was under growing pressure from pharma research firms and manufacturers to react to the perceived intellectual property rights abuses by Indian drug companies. 
 One simple reason for this is the stern stance that the Indian judiciary has taken in major cases of patent protection of life-saving <keyword id="6355291" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Cancer">cancer</keyword> drugs, keeping them largely affordable to the Indian middle-class and the lower middle-class. Novartis’ drug Glivec didn’t get patent cover by the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> and a compulsory licence was given to Bayer’s drug that treats kidney and liver cancer. 
 
Even in the past, India had played a crucial role and drastically slashed the prices of ARV (antiretroviral) drugs in its war against HIV. This was more than a decade ago and since then, the country has been able to bring down the cost of the drug from $15,000 per patient per year to $60 per patient per year. It was an essential social initiative to keep the incidence of HIV down although India is not one of the highly affected countries. But the initiative has set the path for others. India was able to do this owing to the fact that the country didn’t root for WTO patents protection, which would have posed a hurdle in economising ARV drugs. 
 India’s role in pharma wars has great implications when it comes to underprivileged people’s access to quality healthcare. Countries like <keyword id="6355226" type="COUNTRY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Brazil">Brazil</keyword> and South Africa have closely followed the Indian model to modify their IP laws, sending out alarming signals to knowledge-hoarding countries. 
 
India, the world’s largest producer and supplier of generic drugs, has often been singled out by the US government and the multinational pharma industry on the grounds of insufficient enforcement of intellectual property protection. 
 
For India, keeping the knowledge free and open for sharing, especially when it comes to saving lives, seems to have become a philosophy by which the country lives. And the rest is for the countries to slug it out in courts.

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First Trade Reform In History Of The World Trade Organization Is Ready For Approval

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Narendra Modi-Led Government Promises 40% Increase In Supply Of Grain Under Food Law

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IP, Patents May Set The Tone For The Next Battleground

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