On 09 July 2026, members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) shared their views on the state of agricultural negotiations. They discussed how best to move talks forward on 09 July 2026 at the WTO Committee on Agriculture in Special Session in Geneva, Switzerland. It was the first meeting of the WTO’s agricultural negotiating body since the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Cameroon earlier this year, where WTO members were unable to reach a consensus outcome on agriculture.
Members reaffirmed that agriculture remains central to the WTO negotiating agenda and underscored the importance of the committee as the centre of global agricultural negotiations. Some members expressed the view that agriculture should also form part of the broader WTO reform discussions. In contrast, others cautioned about the risk of duplicating work.
Noting that ministers had not adopted a text on agriculture at MC14, the chair of the negotiations on agriculture said that he had held informal meetings with members to gauge their views. The chair also pointed to the summary report of the Ministerial Session on Agriculture at MC14 as a useful reference for identifying ways forward.
“We need to rebuild trust, exercise flexibility and be committed to exploring alternative ways of doing things,” said the chair.
“Regarding our work ahead, we do not need to start from scratch. We have many proposals and submissions to build on, and I am sure there will be new proposals from members, which provide a solid basis for us to make progress in the negotiations,” the chair concluded.
India resubmitted its proposed text from MC14. The presentation urged members to reaffirm past ministerial mandates and to prioritise negotiations on three outstanding areas. These relate to WTO rules on the procurement of food at administered prices for public stocks; a proposed “special safeguard mechanism” that would allow developing economies to raise tariffs temporarily in the event of a sudden surge in import volumes or a fall in prices; and cotton, where West African countries in particular have long called for progress to address distortions in global markets.
Several developing country members supported this approach and reiterated the importance of prioritising food security and rural livelihoods, as well as addressing existing asymmetries in the WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture.
Others expressed concern that prioritising some issues over others risked stalemating overall progress. They were of the view that a multi-track, parallel process of negotiations on all unresolved topics, reflecting all members’ interests, would be most effective.
Topics on which members continue to hold divergent positions include reducing trade-distorting domestic support to the farm sector, improving access to agricultural markets and imposing export restrictions on food.
Some members considered that previous efforts at breaking the logjam on agriculture had proven ineffective so far and called for reflection on the underlying reasons behind the impasse.
Several members considered that technical exchanges, thematic sessions, evidence-based discussions and regular, structured engagement among members would help rebuild the conditions for resuming meaningful negotiations.
Some members highlighted the importance of preserving and sharing the institutional memory of the talks and called on the WTO Secretariat to present on the history of the negotiations to inform and advance future discussions. Some further proposed undertaking a review of recent market developments, including trends in production, trade, exports and overall levels of protection, to better understand the contemporary challenges facing members.
The meeting was regarded as incorporating dedicated sessions on public stockholding for food security purposes and on the Special Safeguard Mechanism.
For more background on the WTO agriculture negotiations and MC14: WTO | Agriculture - Post-MC14 Briefing note - 14th WTO Ministerial Conference
Next steps
The chair concluded the session by saying he would carefully consider all members’ suggestions. He encouraged them to reflect on next steps over the summer break. In response to a call from some members, the chair invited the WTO Secretariat to prepare a presentation on the history of the negotiations on domestic support for farmers.
More background on the WTO agriculture negotiations and the MC14 is accessible at:
https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/minist_e/mc14_e/briefing_notes_e/agriculture_e.htm