REPORT (2021) ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE

REPORT BY THE CHAIRPERSON

1.1.  The present report is being circulated by the Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture on his own responsibility. This report provides a summary of the activities of the Committee on Agriculture ("the Committee") during 2021.

1.2.  The Committee organized three formal meetings in 2021 on 29-30 March, 17-18 June, and 23‑24 September^[1]. Three informal meetings of the Committee were held respectively on 29 March, 17 June and 23 September. Ms. Maria Araceli Escandor of the Philippines chaired the Committee's March and June meetings. In July 2021, the Committee elected Mr. Marcos da Rosa Uranga of Uruguay as the new Chairperson for 2021‑2022.

1.3.  In accordance with Article 18.1 of the Agreement on Agriculture ("the Agreement"), at each of its meetings, the Committee reviewed progress in the implementation of Members' commitments. This review process is undertaken based on notifications submitted by Members in the areas of market access, domestic support, export competition, export prohibitions and restrictions as well as under the follow-up to the Ministerial Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on Least developed and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries (NFIDC Decision). Between 1 January and 9 November 2021, 302 agriculture notifications were circulated.

1.4.  In 2021, Members posed 266 questions in connection with 112 specific notifications during the Committee's review process.^[2] These questions were distributed as follows: 76% related to domestic support issues, 20% to market access, 3% to export competition, and the remaining 1% related to export restrictions and prohibitions and in relation to the NFIDC Decision. Specific concerns were also raised regarding outstanding notifications that some Members had yet to submit to the Committee.

1.5.  Members also raised a wide range of matters relevant to the implementation of commitments, independently of notifications, under Article 18.6 of the Agreement. A total of 154 questions on 100 specific implementation matters (SIMs) were raised by 12 Members during 2021. Out of these, 53 SIMs were discussed for the first time in 2021. The remaining matters were discussed on one or more occasions in previous years; 14 of these SIMs have been brought up in more than five CoA meetings where one SIM has been raised on 18 occasions attracting a total of 64 questions.

1.6.  Since 2018, the Secretariat has been monitoring the number of outstanding responses under the CoA review process.^[3] A gradual reduction in the number of outstanding responses has been observed since this exercise started. As of the September Committee meeting, 104 responses were pending for questions raised during 2013‑2019 and 47 for questions raised in 2020. The successive Chairpersons continued to encourage Members to increase their efforts to submit the outstanding responses as a means to enhance the efficacy of the Committee's monitoring functions.