Despite developing nations asking the developed countries to do away with trade-distorting subsidies and make steep duty cuts on products with high tariffs, all appeals seem to have fallen on deaf ears. 

And now the anti-concentration clause in the non-agricultural market access (NAMA) draft stands to hurt the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) real hard. Since flexibility is the key to protect our SMEs, the clause that restricts the scope of flexibility that can be availed by developing nations in the context of tariff cuts can make the sector vulnerable to external market realities.

SMEs, in certain sensitive sectors, are vulnerable to such tariff reductions and taking into account the sector’s contribution to the economy, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has to ensure that such clauses are not inserted in any further revision of NAMA text.

WTO must take note of the double standards being maintained by the developed bloc. On one hand they keep accusing the developing nations of not opening up, and on the other hand they are not prepared to do away with high tariffs and subsidies.

I feel the WTO will now have to take a more active role in ensuring that the sentiments of the developing bloc are taken into consideration when the talks take place in future.