MINSK, 6 July (BelTA) – The terms of state support to agricultural producers will be discussed during separate negotiations between Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan as they develop the single economic space (SES), Vice-Premier of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov told reporters. “The sides need to agree on the volume of agricultural subsidies,” Andrei Kobyakov said. There exist a certain methodology in this area, and green, yellow and red boxes as the WTO classified them, according to Andrei Kobyakov. Red-box subsidies are prohibited. We have not used them for a long time already. Green-box subsidies are the support measures for the infrastructure development, ecology – everything that does not distort trade. Yellow-box subsidies are all domestic support measures considered to distort production and trade though not too much,” the vice-Premier said. “The talks will continue on this issue. We are agreeing on the methodology. Our partners once rejected all kinds of agricultural subsidies but now they have started providing significant support. There is a well-known phrase. If re-phrased, it says that those who do not support their own farmers support someone else’s. There is no country in the world that would not support its agricultural sector. The point is about the degree and the volume, which makes these issues the subject of separate negotiations,” Andrei Kobyakov added. As BelTA informed earlier, the heads of the Customs Union member states agreed to intensify the work on developing the agreements on the single economic space between the three countries in Astana on 5 July. All agreements on the SES should be developed by 1 January 2011. БЕЛТА
Written by belta.by
