WTO agriculture committee debates food security, export rules and transparency

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on Agriculture met on 25–26 September 2025, under the chairmanship of Diego Alfieri of Brazil, to examine pressing issues at the intersection of trade, agriculture, and food security. The two-day session provided a platform for frank exchanges among members and featured updates from key international organizations, follow-ups on ministerial decisions, reviews of agricultural policies, and new discussions on technology transfer.

Food security and global agricultural markets

Representatives from UNCTAD, FAO, WFP, and the World Bank briefed WTO members on the latest developments in food security and trade.

• UNCTAD stressed that open trade is vital for tackling food insecurity, enabling surplus food to reach deficit regions and stabilizing global prices. However, it cautioned that export restrictions heighten volatility, hitting least developed countries (LDCs) and net food-importing developing countries (NFIDCs) hardest. Transparency in applying such measures, it said, remains essential.

• The FAO presented the 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, which showed that while some progress has been made, 673 million people still faced hunger in 2024. Projections suggest 512 million people will remain chronically hungry by 2030, putting SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) at risk. The FAO also updated members on global cereal supply, demand, and food price trends, urging greater transparency in agricultural commodity markets.

• The WFP warned that it is simultaneously managing two concurrent famines, with 28 million people in Sudan and Gaza facing extreme hunger. Declining donor support means WFP emergency operations will reach 17 million fewer people in 2025 compared to 2024.

• The World Bank emphasized that food and nutrition crises are increasing in scale and complexity due to conflicts, climate shocks, and fragile systems. It highlighted its work with national governments to implement food security preparedness plans, linking domestic needs with regional and global support structures.

Follow-up on ministerial commitments

The Committee conducted its annual review of the 2015 Nairobi Decision on Export Competition, supported by a background document from the WTO Secretariat. Members welcomed the new integrated export competition notification requirement, introduced in 2025, which will underpin future monitoring.

The Committee also advanced discussions in the second triennial review of the 2013 Bali Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) Decision. Chair Alfieri presented draft conclusions, covering:

1. Improved transparency on annual in-quota and out-of-quota tariffs.

2. Inclusion of import data in annual notifications (MA:2) disaggregated by country.

3. A process to collate practices hindering TRQ utilization, to be revisited in the next review cycle.

Members continued discussions on the 2022–24 dedicated work programme on food security, mandated by the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference. Some members suggested creating a dedicated monitoring mechanism for targeted follow-up, while others warned that the recommendations only partially addressed LDC and NFIDC concerns.

Additionally, for the first time, members considered the implementation of the 2013 Bali Decision on General Services and its implications for monitoring under Article 18 of the Agreement on Agriculture.

Peer review of agricultural policies

The peer review process featured 203 questions on notifications and policy implementation. Of these, 33 were new issues, ranging from US trade framework deals with Japan, Indonesia, Viet Nam, and the EU to country-specific policies.

Examples of new topics included:

• UK sustainable farming initiatives in Wales.

• Philippines suspension of rice imports.

• Switzerland’s increased agricultural subsidies.

Recurring issues included:

• India’s domestic support programmes, sugar policy, and public stockholding.

• Canada’s dairy support.

• China’s domestic cotton support.

• EU’s deforestation regulations.

• Egypt’s rice export restrictions.

• US targeted agricultural support measures.

Since June 2025, 103 notifications were submitted: 12 on market access, 34 on domestic support, 55 on export competition, and two on the Marrakesh Decision for LDCs and NFIDCs. The Chair urged members to ensure timely and complete notifications, stressing transparency as critical to the system’s integrity.

Technology transfer and innovation

Members also discussed how to strengthen technology transfer in agriculture, particularly for developing economies dominated by smallholder farmers. Delegates agreed that affordable technologies are crucial for transformation, and emphasized the importance of transparent notifications for measures supporting agricultural research and innovation.

Chair Alfieri suggested continuing informal dialogues and including the issue regularly on formal agendas, given its transformative potential for developing countries.

In a thematic session, Canada shared insights on transparency in agricultural policy through DS:2 notifications, while the World Bank presented on agricultural risk management and insurance policies.

Looking ahead

The meeting concluded with agreement to continue technical work on food security, export competition, and TRQs while advancing dialogue on agricultural innovation. The next Committee on Agriculture meeting is scheduled for 24–26 November 2025.

The September meeting reaffirmed that while trade has a central role in stabilizing food supply and prices, structural reforms, transparency, and cooperation remain essential to tackling hunger and ensuring agriculture supports sustainable development worldwide.