ISLAMABAD, Nov 24: Pakistan has decided to join the Cairns Group — a coalition of 17 developed and developing countries headed by Australia — in a bid to seek a greater market access for its agriculture products.

Informed sources told Dawn on Thursday that the decision was taken in a meeting of Australian Prime Minister John Howard with President Pervez Musharraf held recently.

Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile had earlier also requested Pakistan for joining the group, added the sources. Pakistan’s joining of the new club of agriculture exporting countries just ahead of the Hong Kong ministerial conference would provide a parallel forum for presenting its own agenda on the agriculture sector.

The 17-member Cairns Group include Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Paraguay, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand and Uruguay.

Since its formation in 1986, the group has played an influential role in negotiations on agriculture and was instrumental in the insistence by developing countries that a framework for the reform of agricultural subsidies be formalized.

Some of the points that the Group is campaigning for include: substantial improvements in market access for its farm products; big cuts in subsidies to US and EU farmers; and the phasing out of export subsidies.

Pakistan like other member countries of the group — Brazil, Indonesia, Guatemala, Paraguay and Chile — is also member of the G-20 demanding almost a similar reduction in tariff, subsidies and domestic support of agriculture products.

The sources said the key to blocking the entire Doha agenda was agriculture subsidies given by developed countries to their farmers. “Everyone will lose if WTO members lose sight of the main game — genuine, long-term reform and liberalization — during the upcoming Hong Kong ministerial conference,” the sources remarked.