WTO should allow food exports from public stock to help countries in need: Goyal

"For India, a response to the pandemic would not be complete without a TRIPS (Trade Related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver," the Union Mininster said.

India on Monday strongly suggested the WTO to permit exports of food grains from public stocks for international food aid and for humanitarian purposes, especially on government-to-government basis, as the U.N.'s World Food Programme was not able to ramp up its supplies to help needy nations.

During an agri intervention in a WTO session, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the World Food Programme (WFP) over the last few years has demonstrated its inability to really ramp up supplies to the countries in distress.

The United Nation's World Food Programme works in over 120 countries and territories to supply life-saving food to people displaced by conflict or made destitute by disasters.

Citing data, the minister said that in 2020-21, the WFP programme can only procure 4.47 million tonnes at a cost of about USD 1.7 billion, which by itself is grossly inadequate to serve in the interest of humanitarian crisis or a problem that is faced by many countries in terms of their food security.

He added that countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan need food supplies.

India has foodgrain in its public stock holding programme, which can be used to help friendly neighbours, countries in distress, least developed nations and the poor and the vulnerable sections of society.

"I fail to understand what is holding back the WTO and its members from allowing government-to-government purchases for humanitarian purposes, in the event of a problem, in the event of food security being threatened. All of that (supplies) can be (done) on very transparent terms," Mr. Goyal said.