Stakeholders at a meeting here yesterday asked the government to take a strong stand in the coming WTO ministerial conference in Hong Kong for reviving food aid to the least developed countries (LDCs) as well as duty and quota-free access of their goods to the developed nations.

The meeting with a group of NGO representatives was organised as part of a series of meetings ahead of the Hong Kong ministerial billed for December 13- 18. Commerce Minister Altaf Hossain Choudhury presided over the meeting.

The commerce ministry convened the meeting to take inputs from the stakeholders so that it can evolve strategies to face the WTO negotiations where Bangladesh is expected to play an active role for the LDCs to protect interests of the world's poor-nation club.

After the meeting, Altaf however told the news agency that the possible withdrawal of farm subsidy by the developed and developing countries would not affect the interest of the LDCs, including Bangladesh.

Asked about the WTO Cancun meeting's failure, the commerce minister said he is optimistic that this meeting would yield positive results.

“All the representatives from the LDCs want positive results from the meeting,” he said, adding, “It's very difficult to say anything before the WTO meeting, but I am very much optimistic about it.”

As part of the series, the commerce ministry will hold a meeting with the WTO Advisory Cell on November 16. Another meeting of the Bangladesh delegation to WTO will be held on November 29.

The NGO representatives also suggested enhancing agri-subsidy locally as a price support.

Nasiruddin Ahmed, director

general of the WTO Cell under the commerce ministry however, made it clear that Bangladesh is not allowed to provide farm subsidy as per rules as the country did not submit a requisite schedule in this regard to the WTO by the 1994 deadline.

Some 22 countries have submitted the schedules within the timeframe and they are eligible for providing the agri-subsidy, Nasiruddin apprised the meeting.

He further said Pakistan and India also missed the bus, as they too could not submit the schedules.

The NGO representatives also suggested the authorities not to take fiscal policies internally that run against the WTO rules and seek a flexible rules-of-origin regime.

They also noted with concern that WTO was contributing to widening the gap between the rich and the poor, and urged the government to take up the issue with the WTO ministerial.