Least Developed Countries (LDCs) including Bangladesh have been facing serious constraints in exporting their products to the global market as non-tariff barriers (NTBs) issue in the WTO talks still remained unresolved, said the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI). “It is important to start negotiations on NTBs, which pose serious constraints to the LDCs’ export growth,” remarked the editorial in the November issue of the Chamber News, the MCCI’s monthly publication.

It said the negotiations on NTBs have not been prioritised since the launch of the Doha Round, pointing out that there is no deadline set for submission of proposals, let alone elimination of the NTBs.

The position of the major developed countries has been that NTBs be considered within the framework of the respective agreements. As they are opposed to any substantive amendment to these agreements, the identified NTBs are likely to continue and multiply in the coming years, the monthly said.

The chamber observed that lot of research be needed to identify the prevailing NTBs in different countries and prepare and submit negotiating proposals at the WTO.

“Since the private sector industry and business are likely to have the most up-to-date information about the presence of the NTBs in different countries, the governments of the LDCs, particularly our government should initiate dialogues with the private sector to identify NTBs and help make the appropriate proposals for negotiations,” it said.

Meanwhile, the Doha Round was put on hold in July 2006 when negotiations among the major players (the so-called G-6 countries –Australia, Brazil, EC, India, Japan, and the US) broke down following disagreements over farm subsidies and industrial tariffs, the chamber opined.

Besides, the negotiations resumed in February this year. Although progress was slow in the first four months after resumption, negotiations intensified in May and onwards in order to reach consensus on at least agriculture and non-agriculture market access (NAMA).

It is now clear that if no consensus can be reached in the areas of agriculture and NAMA, initiatives would not be taken in other areas of negotiations. Against this backdrop, the chairs of these negotiating groups proposed the texts on the modalities of agriculture in July 2007, the Chamber News said.

It said there was an expectation at the Hong Kong Ministerial that commitment would be made by the developed countries to provide duty free and quota free access to all products of the LDCs.

However, amidst the strong opposition of two developed countries, commitment was made partially with the provision for coverage of at least 97 percent of the products of the LDCs, it said.

It was expected that the modalities of NAMA and Agriculture would address this issue and work out a detailed outline for operationalisation of the decision for extending the duty free and quota free access to the LDCs and for simplification of the rules of origin.