Ministry of commerce and UNCTD have conducted workshops to take the help of consumer fora in assessing the impact of WTO agreements.
UDAIPUR: The ministry of commerce, in conjunction with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, has been conducting a series of workshops around the country to take the help of consumer fora in assessing the impact of agreements made under the aegis of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
"We do not have an active consumer voice like in the West on trade-related issues, especially for non-agricultural products. We have been contacting various consumer organisations, but the response has been poor. These workshops are aimed at reaching out to them more directly," said Bipin Menon, joint director general of foreign trade, after a recent regional workshop in Udaipur.
This was evident in the sessions held for the western region of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Mahrashtra covering various issues involved in the WTO negotiations on Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA). The UNCTAD and ministry of commerce requested people to come forward with their lists of items for which they want protection in the local markets before the new rounds of trade negotiations begin.
"We have to create awareness to demystify the NAMA negotiations. We also need peoples' participation to provide the commerce ministry with the lists of sensitive products," said Vandana Agarwal, director, department of commerce.
"The listing has to be supported by econometrics and statistics to show why they are sensitive, why they need protection and how many producers or growers will be affected," she pointed out.
The officials were especially concerned with the lack of response from states like Maharashtra and Gujarat, which may be significantly affected by the NAMA negotiations at the WTO which cover areas like fisheries. According to an official from Mahrashtra, the responsibility for involving consumers from various states lay with state governments.
"The ministers in Maharashtra have not taken these talks seriously," said a senior official who requested anonymity.
"They believe they have little role to play and all the decisions are being taken at the central level. The fact is that the trade negotiations are going to affect us all and we need initiatives to involve local officials and give the people a voice," the official said.
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