New Delhi: After having successfully reached through consensus a trade agreement at the WTO meet, held in Indonesia, India will never compromise on the fundamental issues pertaining to food security, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said.
"We have been able to give a clear signal to the world that while India is prepared to engage, it will not accept an un-balanced agreement," Sharma, who headed the Indian delegation at the WTO conference, told parliament.
"It will under no circumstances compromise the fundamental issues pertaining to food security, livelihood security and the welfare of its subsistence farmers and poor."
Sharma said the agreement re-affirmed India's leadership role amongst the developing countries, as it demonstrated diplomatic ability to build consensus.
According to Sharma, India was key to arriving at a breakthrough and shaping the first agreement since the creation of the WTO 18 years ago, known as the "Bali Package".
The 'Bali Package' seeks to liberalise international trade norms and allow developing countries like India to continue offering subsidies for their food procurement programme.
"We were able to build a broader coalition of support forcing U.S. and EU to cede ground. India declined a country-specific carve out and insisted that protection must be available to all developing countries," Sharma said.
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