LEA (language experience approach) task

A. Work in pairs. Dictate the whole text or the parts of text to each other in your own words.

B. Your partner should write down what the first student has said and later read the text what you have written.

C. Your partner should ask questions about the text, the second student should answer them.

D. Partners will retell the text to each other in brief.

3. FIND A SENTENCE

Read the text and do the following tasks. Find from the text that you think ….

1) a beautiful sentence

2) a very interesting sentence

3) a surprising sentence

4) a sentence that contains the main idea

5) a sentence the student doesn’t understand

6) a sentence that reminds the student of smth

7) a sentence that makes great sense to student

8) a sentence the student agrees or disagrees with

9) a sentence that upsets the student

4. Discuss the questions:

1) What is the aim of agricultural sector accession to WTO?

2) What are Blue Box payments?

3) What agricultural product is beneficial in world market?

Impact of Trade Liberalization on Agricultural Sector in Jordan AMIR Program

WTO Doha Round Negotiations

USAID from the American people. Document/contract No: 278-C-00-02-00210-00. Antonio Cordella/The Services Group. June 2006.

Background

The primary objective of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture is to reduce distortions in world trade in agricultural products. Trade distortions targeted for elimination at the WTO include border measures such as tariffs, domestic support for agriculture, and export-related subsidies, which confer competitive advantage on farmers who receive them.

The WTO Fourth Ministerial Conference, held in Dohain November 2001, concluded with an

agreement on the launch of a new round of negotiations to further liberalize world trade, known as the Doha Development Agenda. The Doha Declaration commits WTO members to substantial cuts in market protection and trade-distorting domestic subsidies as well as reductions of, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies. At the same time, it committed members to take account of non-trade concerns (e.g. environment, rural and social development, animal welfare) and to negotiate special and differential treatment for developing countries. The Doha Round negotiations on agriculture have focused on three main pillars: domestic support, market access, and export competition. Below are the most recent developments.

Domestic support

The overall base level of all trade-distorting domestic support, as measured by the final bound total aggregate measure of support (AMS) plus permitted de minimis level and the level for the so-called Blue Box payments will be reduced according to a tiered formula. Under this formula, members having higher levels of trade-distorting domestic support will make greater overall reductions in order to achieve a harmonizing result. As the first installment of the overall cut, in the first year and throughout the implementation period, the sum of all trade-distorting support will not exceed 80 percent of the sum of Final Bound Total AMS plus permitted de minimis plus the Blue Box. The latter level should not exceed 5 percent of a member’s average total value of agricultural production during an historical period to be yet agreed on. There will be three bands for reductions in Final Bound Total AMS and in the overall cut in trade-distorting domestic support, with higher linear cuts in higher bands. In both cases, the member with the highest level of permitted support will be in the top band, the two members with the second and third highest levels of support will be in the middle band and all other members, including all developing country members, will be in the bottom band.

Market access

To ensure that a single approach for developed and developing country members meets all the

objectives of the Doha mandate, tariff reductions will be made through a tiered formula that takes into account their different tariff structures. To ensure that such a formula will lead to substantial trade expansion, the following principles will guide its further negotiation:

- Tariff reductions will be made from bound rates. Substantial overall tariff reductions will be

achieved as a final result from negotiations.

- Each member (other than least developing countries (LDCs)) will make a contribution.

Operationally effective special and differential provisions for developing country members

will be an integral part of all elements.

- Progressivity in tariff reductions will be achieved through deeper cuts in higher tariffs with

flexibilities for sensitive products. Substantial improvements in market access will be achieved for all products.

- There will be four bands for structuring tariff cut.

The number of bands, the thresholds for defining the bands, and the type of tariff reduction in each band remain under negotiation. The role of a tariff cap in a tiered formula with distinct treatment for sensitive products will be further evaluated.

Members may designate an appropriate number, to be negotiated, of tariff lines to be treated as

sensitive, taking account of existing commitments for these products. The sensitive products listing should not undermine the overall objective of the tiered approach and the principle of ‘substantial improvement’ shall apply to each product.

Some most-favored nation (MFN)-based tariff quota expansion will be required for all such sensitive products. A base for such an expansion will be established, taking account of coherent and equitable criteria to be developed in the negotiations. In order not to undermine the objective of the tiered approach, for all such products, MFN based tariff quota expansion will be provided under specific rules to be negotiated taking into account deviations from the tariff formula.

Export competition

In the Doha Round, the discussions on export competition on the negotiating agenda include explicit export subsidies, export credits, food aid and state trading enterprises. The negotiating mandate calls for ‘the parallel elimination of all forms of export subsidies and disciplines on all export measures with equivalent effect by a credible end date’. At the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference held in Hong Kong in December 2005, the WTO membership agreed to end export subsidies in agriculture by 2013, with a substantial part realized by the mid-point of the implementation period (around 2010). The declaration makes clear the agreed date is conditional. Loopholes have to be plugged to avoid hidden export subsidies in export credit, food aid and the sales of exporting sales enterprises. For cotton, the elimination of export refunds is accelerated to the end of 2006. In addition, cotton exports from least-developed countries will be allowed into developed countries without duty or quotas from the start of the period for implementing the new agriculture agreement.

FOCUS ON SPEAKING

Share your points of view on the following topic.

Role play

1) A journalist from one of the well-known TV Company has been interviewing the owner of a big farm to share his experience, to tell about profits, problems, prospects, competitiveness of this sector, and to give some tips for beginners, etc.

2) Look at the topic, issues for discussion and expected results of agricultural sector in Kazakhstan in conditions of WTO membership. You are the representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan to make a presentation on the given topic at the international conference of member countries of WTO. Then role play the situation.

Topic: “Prospects of agro-industrial sector in Kazakhstan in conditions of WTO membership”

Issues for discussion:

• Impact of the accession of Kazakhstan to the WTO on agro-industrial sector development and food security;
• Experience of other countries for the development of agro-industrial sector in conditions of WTO membership.

Expected results:

• Recommendations on the development perspectives of agro-industrial sector in conditions of WTO membership;
• Proposals on development of agro-industrial sector in Kazakhstan and competitiveness of agricultural products based on international experience.

3. Give your points of view on improving the competitiveness of the products of the agricultural sector in the conditions of accession to the WTO. You may talk on:

- the growing role for government

- the policies adopted by government to increase agricultural sector

- the possible problems, ways of solution on the given field

- the types of payments and credits to support

- the ways of investing this field of business

- the ways to attract foreign investors to the field

- the list of innovations and new technologies to improve agriculture

- the steps to enter WTO on agricultural products

4. Give your points of view on agriculture today in your country and around the worldners faceest sucessful ng processs. You may talk on:

- the level and status of agricultural sector in Kazakhstan

- the conditions and levels of agriculture in other countries

- the innovations are used in the given sphere

- the ways to develop worker’s skills on the given sphere

- the ways or methods to attract the workers and workplaces

- the facilities to share experiences abroad and in home country

- the ways of contribution for the country’s economy

FOCUS ON WRITING

1) Read the following brief news on Kazakhstan’s WTO entry. After reading the given information write down an opinion essay expressing your own personal position as one of the citizen of your country. Show your civic position or opinion as if you are much more involved on the topic.

Kazakhstan's WTO entry means more competitive agricultural sector: Nazarbayev N.

ASTANA. June 26. KAZINFORM The Head of State Nursultan Nazarbayev received Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan Assylzhan Mamytbekov on Tuesday (June 26) at the presidential residence in Astana.

A. Mamytbekov reported on the current situation in Kazakhstan's agricultural sector, Kazinform has learnt from the President's press service.

The Kazakh leader stressed the importance of continuing the implemented reforms in that sector.

"The development of agriculture is the key priority for the country. The economic integration with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) make the competitiveness of the domestic agricultural sector the cornerstone.

The modernization of the cattle-breeding sector is also of paramount importance. We need to join efforts and adopt a package program on the agriculture development to solve these problems successfully.

Currently we need not only to increase the volumes of agricultural production but also to improve its quality dramatically. We possess all necessary resources. KZT 115 trillion was allotted for the agricultural sector in 2011," President Nazarbayev said.

Minister of Agriculture also told about the provisions of the new Program on Agro-Industrial Complex Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2020.

In this light Nursultan Nazarbayev gave instructions to work out those provisions together with all stakeholders of the agricultural sector.

2) Choose one of the headlines and make up an interesting article about it. Then bring your writings to class and take turns reading your articles. Which student has the best article?

1. Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO in agricultural sector

2. Countries will have to increase state support of their farming sector in entering WTO

3. Agricultural trade and the World Trade Organization

4. The impact of the WTO reform on the agricultural sector in Kazakhstan

5. Possible negative impacts from WTO accession to the agricultural sector

6. Agricultural sector and WTO: advantages and disadvantages

7. Making the most of WTO accession: Agricultural sector commitments and liberalization

8. WTO agricultural conditions

9. Agricultural policy and the WTO Agreement

10. Kazakhstan and the WTO

PROJECT MODELLING