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Removal of developed nations' trade barriers demanded

Star Business Report
Speakers at a seminar yesterday demanded removal of all sorts of tariff and non-tariff barriers (NTBs) to let agriproduces from the developing economies enter the markets of developed countries.
"All the restrictions on trade such as tariff and non-tariff barriers should be removed to let us get market access to developed countries," said Subal Sarker, general secretary of Bangladesh Bhumiheen Samity (an association of landless farmers of the country).
Prof Abul Barkat, general secretary of Bangladesh Economic Association, also spoke among others.
Sarker placed the demand at the seminar relating to Bangladesh's agriculture and farmers' rights in the light of globalisation at the National Press Club in Dhaka. The Bangladesh Secretariat of World Social Forum (WSF) organised the programme, marking the day of suicide of a Korean farmer, Lee Kyang-hae. Lee, the former head of South Korea's federation of fanners, stabbed himself to death to vent his disgust at the policies of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at its fifth ministerial in Cancun, Mexico in 2003.
Sarker, commemorating the sacrifice of Lee, said food and agricultural issues should be kept out of the WTO framework, as agriculture supports the livelihood of around 270 crore (2.7 billion) people in the rural areas across the world.
“It's (agriculture) not just a matter of trade, it has shaped millions of peoples' livelihood patterns and their culture," he said, adding that all sorts of subsides provided by the developed countries to their farmers should be stopped immediately.
Sarker's appeal came after the collapse of the WTO mini-ministerial in Geneva in July due mainly to the differences between India and the US over safeguard measures to protect their farmers.
Developing countries such as India, Brazil and China had
long insisted that successful WTO talks would require initiatives by European Union and US to cut their agricultural subsidies and withdraw their farm-import restrictions to let poor countries sell more produces to rich countries.
"Rich countries are disregarding their promises of removing subsidies from agriculture. Instead, they are imposing various NTBs," said Sarker.
AKM Masud Ali, executive director of Incidin Bangladesh, an NGO, said subsidies provided by the developed countries encourage trade distortions such as dumping and affects the farmers of least developing countries.
Abul Barkat said various lending agencies such as World Bank and IMF controlled by developed economies now oppose the developing countries' move to protect their economies.
But these countries have advanced by protecting their agriculture and local industries, he said.