Report: FAO To The Rescue In Global Agriculture And Trade Discussions

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization yesterday launched a report aiming at helping the current divide on the issue of trade and food security.

The 2015/2016 edition of the FAO State of Agricultural Commodity Markets focuses on trade and food security and in particular the balance between national priorities and the collective good.

During the launch press conference, Daniel Gustafson, FAO deputy director-general, said the relationship between trade and food security is a complex one. Trade liberalisation, he said, brings risk of a disincentive for domestic products, however, “trade works for and not against food security.”

He underlined the relationships between the FAO and the World Trade Organization in this area.

Yi Xiaozhun, WTO deputy director-general, underlined WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo’s commitment to the partnership between the two organisations.

At the WTO, differences between members are clear, he said. At the WTO Ministerial meeting in Bali in 2014, WTO member states found it very difficult to agree on agriculture issues and only agreed on interim solutions, still being discussed, he said. The FAO and the WTO work collaboratively on areas such as food safety and international standards, he said.

The study provides important insights to “entangle the complex relationship between trade and food security,” he added.

According to an FAO press release, the aim of the report is “to reduce the current polarization of views on agricultural trade, wherein some insist that free trade leads to more available and accessible food while others, noting the recent bout of volatile food prices, insist on the need for a more cautious approach to trade, including a variety of safeguards for developing countries.”