Duty free access to least developed countries

New Delhi, Mar 13 (UNI) India needs to move fast on the package for duty-free quota-free (DQFQ) access to the least developed countries (LDCs) as it is an important element of the Doha mandate and the Hong Kong Declaration.

Stating this; Former Trade and Industry Minister, Zambia, Dipak Patel who chaired the session on '' Special Measures for Less Developed Countries'' said the intent needs to be translated into action, and delays will only skew the southern solidarity in the WTO process.

Mr Patel said that the process of negotiations must be more inclusive both in terms of process and the content as far as the LDCs were concerned and lamented lack of progress on duty-free, quota-free access as well as the Aid for Trade issues.

They said DQFQ concessions were sought from ''advanced developing countries'' at the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in December 2005 when these issues were debated.

The rich countries agreed to extend this concession on 97 per cent of tariff lines, though that left a gap where products sensitive to rich economies such as textiles could be exempted. This had come in for considerable criticism, and one of the spin-offs was that big developing countries like India, China and Brazil too should extend such preferential offers, they said.

Brazil has already notified its DFQF scheme, while India and China have announced the intention but are yet to notify it.

Moreover, India is also a signatory to GSTP (Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries which was agreed at UNCTAD X1 Conference at Sao Paulo in 2004.

UNI