Special Safeguard Mechanism for Agriculture: Implications for Developing Members at the World Trade Organization

With rising levels of food and livelihood insecurity among poor farmers, many developing members at the World Trade Organization (WTO) are demanding a special safeguard mechanism (SSM) for shielding their agriculture from import surges and price declines. Similar to special agricultural safeguards (SSGs) which are available only to some members, SSM seeks to provide flexibility to developing members to breach the bound tariff in special cases of import surges and price dips. In this context, this study identifies the agricultural products facing import surges in eight selected developing members. The study evaluates the policy space available to selected members in terms of tariff overhang under their existing schedules as well as proposed tariff reductions under agriculture negotiations. Besides this, it critically scrutinizes various issues such as cross- check conditions, triggers and remedies in order to highlight the sensitivities of developing members in accessibility, effectiveness, and other technical aspects of SSM.