Foreign Affairs Minister addresses the G-33 Virtual Ministerial Meeting

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Dhananjay Ramful, underlined the importance of placing food security at the centre of the international agenda during his intervention at the G-33 Virtual Ministerial Meeting, hosted by Indonesia, yesterday. The G-33 is a coalition of 47 developing and least developed countries as well as Net Food Importing Developing Countries, including Mauritius, within the World Trade Organisation (WTO), whose goal is to press for flexibility for its members in agricultural trade rules. The aim of the virtual meeting was to discuss global trade and food security issues, including agricultural subsidies, and the Special Safeguard Mechanism ahead of the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference, scheduled, from 26 to 29 March 2026, in Yaoundé, Cameroon. In his statement, Minister Ramful pressed on all G-33 Members to work collectively toward a meaningful outcome at the upcoming WTO Ministerial Conference. “It is more critical than ever for the WTO to make decisive progress in agricultural trade so as address systemic imbalances, finalise instruments that support food security, and ensure that all work programmes fully integrate a development dimension,” he said. Moreover, Mr Ramful stressed that the top priority for Mauritius is to ensure an uninterrupted food supply for the population at a time of profound global uncertainty, exacerbated by ongoing conflicts. He thus made an appeal for strong and enforceable disciplines on export restrictions which, in these trying times, might trigger panic, fuel price spikes, and disrupt already fragile food supply chains. Regarding the overuse of domestic support above the de-minimis level, the Minister was of the view that decisive steps should be taken at the next WTO’s Ministerial Conference to ensure that the biggest subsidisers be made to take the highest level of commitment. In the same vein, Mr Ramful highlighted the necessity for Net Food Importing Developing Countries be granted sufficient flexibility to develop their agricultural sectors and ensure food security of their population. On the issue of public stockholding for food security purposes, Mr Ramful reaffirmed that a permanent solution should be agreed by WTO Member States to provide the necessary predictability to support the most vulnerable farmers. In parallel, he asked for the establishment of a proper mechanism to ensure that product eligible for public stockholding are staple traditional food and not any agricultural product, like sugar for instance. The Minister also called for an interim decision on the Special Safeguard Mechanism while negotiations continue with a view to helping developing countries protect the livelihoods of small farmers in the face of global price declines or import surges.

10 March 2026

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Topics: Agriculture, Diplomacy