India will contest WTO panel directive on sugar

15 December 2021, New Delhi: India said on Tuesday it will file an appeal against a World Trade Organization (WTO) panel’s ruling in favour of Brazil,

Australia and Guatemala in their trade disputes with New Delhi over sugar subsidies. While the panel asked India to conform

with global rules, India’s commerce ministry said that its findings were “completely unacceptable” to the country. In the cases

brought before the WTO in 2019, the rival producers alleged that India broke WTO rules by providing excessive domestic

support and export subsidies for sugar and sugarcane. India is the world’s top sugar producer after Brazil. “There would be NO

impact of WTO Panel’s findings on Sugar on any of India’s existing and ongoing policy measures in sugar sector,”

the commerce ministry said. The ministry added: “India has initiated all measures necessary to protect it’s interest and

file an appeal at the WTO against the report, to protect the interests of its farmers.”