KEY POINTS:
A global trade deal to cut farm subsidies and tariffs is within reach, trade minister Phil Goff told an audience in Washington today.
Meawhile a US official warned India's unwillingness to open its market could derail the talks.
"We have made progress in agriculture. We did have 175
outstanding issues... That's been reduced down to 30," Mr Goff said in a speech at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Negotiators in Geneva have been working toward a possible ministerial meeting in late June or early July to try to bring the long-running Doha round of world trade talks to a successful close by the end of the year.
Agriculture is the top priority for big developing countries like India and Brazil who feel their farmers have long suffered from rich country farm subsidies.
Those negotiations are much further along than parallel talks on manufactured goods and services, which are priority areas for the United States and the European Union.
The United States and agricultural exporters like New Zealand also wants major developing countries to open their markets to more foreign farm goods.
New Zealander Crawford Falconer is chairman of the agricultural negotiating group in the world trade talks.
By the time Falconer "finishes in a fortnight (with his next version of proposed farm trade deal), I think we'll have agriculture to a point where a ministerial green room could resolve it," Goff said.
But a deal on agriculture is only possible if there are also deals on manufactured goods and services, he said.
In a separate speech, US Commerce Under Secretary Chris Padilla accused India of playing an obstructionist role in the the Doha round, which was launched in November 2001 with a goal of helping development in poor countries.
"So far the Indian government has resisted virtually all liberalising proposals in Doha, even those proffered by other developing countries," Padilla said.
"The time is fast approaching when India's stance on Doha may result in the failure of the Doha Development Agenda," Padilla said at the Heritage Foundation.
Padilla accused India of refusing to open its market significantly in either the agriculture or the industrial goods portion of the talks, while constantly demanding developed countries to put better offers on the table.
"The Doha Round is not a donors conference. It is a trade negotiation that requires major economic powers, such as India has become, to step up and take responsible leadership, rather than hoping for Doha's demise," Padilla said.
Goff agreed that India and other major developing countries need to improve their market opening offers.
"You can't have a solution that does not involve big developing countries. Brazil, India and China are all on their way to becoming super economies," he said.
But New Zealand, a major agricultural exporter that gave up farm subsidies years ago, would also like to see the United States and the European Union cut farm support "a lot more" than they have already offered, he said.
"I think there needs to be flexibility both ways ... You have to give something in order to get something," Goff said.
- REUTERS