McKinnon – Lower Trade Barriers Needed
Commonwealth News and Information Service (London)
PRESS RELEASE
22 November 2007
Posted to the web 24 November 2007
Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon has said there is an urgent need for developed countries to lower trade barriers, particularly for agricultural products, so that poorer countries get a fair deal on the world market.
He spoke on 21 November 2007 at the opening of a training workshop for journalists covering the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and its affiliated summits in Kampala, Uganda.
Mr McKinnon’s remarks were made in response to a question from a participant who asked what the Commonwealth is doing to ensure the elimination of agricultural subsidies that have stifled poorer countries’ access to world markets.
Lowering trade subsidies and allowing poor countries access to world markets would lead to more equitable development, he said.
“We just have to keep getting the message across, that these economic policy positions are simply unsustainable, and we hope that you, the media, will continue to help us to do this,” Mr McKinnon urged.
He said the Commonwealth would continue pushing for fairer trade terms for its members under the World Trade Organisation arrangement.
Mr McKinnon added that farmers in developed countries tend to sell their agricultural products at much lower prices compared to those in developing countries. Farmers from poorer countries are often unable to compete, as their production costs tend to be much higher than their more industrialized counterparts.
But it is not just the poor farmer from a developing country who bears the brunt of these subsidies, Mr McKinnon acknowledged. Citizens from industrialized countries are also affected as they are forced to pay extra tax, so that their governments can continue offering subsidies to farmers.
