ISLAMABAD, July 30: Pakistan should select a rang of small crops as special products (SPs) under the forthcoming WTO negotiations on agreement on agriculture to protect them against cheaper imports. This was one of the recommendations of a research report on “special products in WTO Pakistan perspective” prepared by Roshan Malik and commissioned by Actionaid Pakistan.

The report, a copy of which was available with Dawn, suggested to the government negotiators to include major crops, such as wheat, rice, cotton and sugar, as well as minor crops, including gram, tobacco, chillies, dates, banana, other fruits and vegetables and dairy items, in the list of SPs.

The products depicted in the research should be taken as an initiation of the research on some selected products, and this should not be considered as the exhaustive list. Rather there would be an open-ended list that included more SPs, added the report.

The report recommended that the SPs issue needed further clarification, research and in-depth analysis to devise any universal criterion that would cater to the specific needs of any country. International organizations may be asked to undertake such analysis on urgent basis.

Developing countries should not compromise unless clear and definite elements like reduction formulae for tariffs and subsidies and disciplines on sensitive products, etc., are evolved.

The report observed that the whole concept of SPs should not be jeopardized on the pretext of lack of data. “Unavailability of data should not undermine the necessity of a product or group of products to be protected against cheap imports.”

According to the need specific criteria, the eligible developing countries should be allowed to select SPs themselves for addressing their peculiar rural development concerns and Pakistan should take a strong position on SPs in view of its diversified crops and communities involved in these crops.

The report says in all likelihood the selection of SPs is expected to be based on HS code at four-digit or six-digit level. The choice of the level should be important for individual countries according to the diversification of their agriculture sector, particularly if the entitlement of countries to SPs is limited by an absolute number e.g. 10, 15, 20, etc; the selection at four-digit level may be a reasonable prospect for countries like Pakistan with diverse agriculture base. It would give them more opportunities to protect more sub-headings by selecting one ‘product’. The report further recommended that inter-dependency of the crops must be taken into consideration before the selection of SPs.