Agriculture talks Chair circulates draft text ahead of MC14 building on member submissions

At a meeting of the Special Session of the Committee on Agriculture on 27 February, members provided feedback on a new draft ministerial decision introduced by Argentina in addition to eight other submissions circulated since December 2025. In the absence of clear consensus around any single proposal, and in response to calls to take the lead, the Chair circulated later in the day a draft ministerial text for members' consideration ahead of the General Council meeting on 10-11 March and the 14th Ministerial Conference on 26-29 March.

Agriculture talks Chair circulates draft text ahead of MC14 building on member submissions

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• Agriculture negotiations
• Agriculture
• 14th WTO Ministerial Conference
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• Committee on Agriculture, Special Session

Discussion of submissions and WTO members' views on the way forward

The new submission by Argentina aimed at fostering convergence around political guidance and called on members to "relaunch agriculture negotiations reaffirming their commitment to the reform process."�

This new submission brings the total number of new submissions by members to nine since December 2025.�

"These texts are not merely technical contributions," said the Chair of the agriculture negotiating body, Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussain of Pakistan. "They constitute a clear political signal of members' commitment to the negotiating process and readiness to engage constructively."�

Several members welcomed the proposal by Argentina and considered that it could serve as a basis for the negotiations, alone or together with some other proposals. They appreciated the spirit of compromise developed by Argentina and welcomed in particular the reference to the need to identify and address the factors that have contributed to the current stalemate, as well as the elements on the post-MC14 process.

Several members, however, expressed concern over the use of the word "relaunch" in the proposal. It was not clear whether it called for a fundamental shift in the negotiations, or just renewing impetus on the present path. Some members also questioned the way the proposal articulated the relationship between the continuation of the reform process on agriculture and the strengthening of global food security.

Many members expressed support for the Jamaican submission, which focuses on the principle of food security. They believed it could form the basis of a ministerial decision. Others suggested that both submissions by Jamaica and Argentina could be combined to build a consensual text. The African group suggested that a possible basis could be its January proposal that aimed at consolidating elements from various proposals in a spirit of compromise. Some members expressed concern that the process for finding consensus on a draft text lacked clarity on tangible outcomes and on clear guidelines on the way forward post-MC14.

Some highlighted the importance of fast-tracking progress on issues that ministers had previously identified as priorities in the talks, such as food security, cotton and reducing trade-distorting domestic support, while others argued in favour of a comprehensive approach. Members also warned that prioritizing some concerns over others would lead to more countries digging into their long-standing positions and blocking progress.

Next steps

The Chair thanked all members who had responded to his call by submitting proposals. After considering the interventions made during the meeting, he concluded that no single text commanded the support of the entire membership.

He therefore announced that, in response to repeated calls from members for him to take the lead, he would circulate a Chair's text later in the day. He also indicated that he would hold consultations starting on 2 March and convene the next meeting of the agriculture negotiations body on 6 March to report on his consultations.� The aim is to report on the state of play in the negotiations and present his key takeaways at the WTO General Council meeting planned for 10 and 11 March.�

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