Recently, many Indian agriculture export consignments were rejected due to stringent quality norms of some countries.
- Now, India has proposed that the WTO should launch work programmes on recognition and harmonisation of regional conditions, improving members’ understanding on areas of low pest or disease prevalence and creating a common understanding in relation to areas of low disease prevalence.
- India’s proposal was discussed at the sixth review of the operation and implementation of the WTO agreement on the application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures in October 2024.
- Indian exporters have been facing challenges including meeting the maximum residue limit (MRL) for certain chemicals used in pesticides for items such as basmati rice in developed countries.
- It has also been difficult to meet SPS standards for exporting various fruits and vegetables.
About WTO SPS agreement
- The Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (WTO’s SPS agreement) sets out the basic rules on food safety and animal and plant health standards that governments are required to follow.
- The agreement allows WTO members to set their own standards on food safety and animal and plant health.
- But these standards must be based on science, applied only to the extent necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health, and not arbitrarily or unjustifiably discriminate between countries where identical or similar conditions prevail.
- Members are encouraged to use international standards, guidelines and recommendations but may adopt higher levels of protection if there is scientific justification for it, or if they are based on appropriate assessment of risks.
- The SPS Agreement allows countries to use different methods of control, inspection and approval procedures to verify compliance with adopted standards.
- Transparency regarding governments’ SPS regulations is a key provision to avoid unnecessary barriers to trade. The agreement is reviewed at the WTO every four years.
