India Under WTO Lens Over Queries on Farm Trade, Sops

India maintains that its subsidy, procurement schemes are crucial for ensuring food security

- Dhirendra Kumar

India has come under fresh scrutiny at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over its failure to respond to farm trade-related queries that have accumulated over more than a decade. The latest secretariat report shows the country has the longest list of pending queries at the WTO, with a sizeable number dating back to 2013.

The updated WTO note, issued on 8 September, listed 186 unanswered questions from 2013 to 2023, along with 51 from 2024, of which India has 30 pending as of 5 September. By comparison, China has 20 pending queries, Pakistan five, and Bangladesh two, the report said. Most of the questions had been raised by the US with 157, followed by Canada with 61, Australia with 40, and Japan with 13, the WTO paper said.