'India Won't Wait Without End For WTO Food Stocks Solution'

Informing media persons that over September-October there will be more meetings of WTO's Agricultural Committee, Sitharaman said India has proposed several options, including one supported by the G-33 nations, and hoped the WTO members would discuss these and come to a conclusion.

"We had given a lot of alternatives. Probably there wasn't enough time for the WTO to sit over these proposals and come back with the response then (end-July). But I would certainly hope that those proposals and even the new ones that India is offering, all will be taken on board and WTO will engage with us," the minister said.

Sitharaman denied the country is isolated on the issue.

"Today the environment is far more in favour of India. We are also talking to a number of members to explain our position," she said.

"The thought must be removed from the mind that people are irate, people think we are isolated. On the contrary, we now have more people understanding India's position. I don't think anyone is irate anymore even if they were earlier," she added.

India has proposed WTO to amend the norms for calculating agriculture subsidies so that the country could continue to procure food grain from farmers at minimum support price and sell them to poor at cheaper rates without violating the norms.

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