Agriculture subsidies within WTO framework will suffice - Skrynnik
MOSCOW. Dec 22 (Interfax) - Government support for the agriculture industry in Russia when it joins the WTO will remain sufficient for steady development in the sector, Agriculture Minister Elena Skrynnik said at a meeting on Russia's accession to the WTO on Thursday in Moscow.
Russia will be able to increase its subsidies for the industry to $9 billion, she said.
"Nobody is talking about cutting government support to agriculture. The main challenge is the structuring of government support measures that have a distorting effect on trade," she said.
The government subsidy agreements reached within the framework of the WTO enable all current and planned programs for development and modernization of the domestic agriculture industry within the government program to be implemented, the minister said.
Permitted measures within the WTO green boxes include support for scientific research, pest and disease control, training and infrastructure development in terms of spending on equipment and capital construction, including electricity supply, roads and lines of communication, water supply and irrigation.
Adaptation of government agriculture subsidies to WTO regulations requires the positive experience of working to create a Common Economic Space for the Customs Union countries. In order to determine common approaches to subsidy policy an agreement was reached on uniform regulations for government support to the agriculture industry, which the Russian Agriculture Ministry participated in developing. WTO regulations were taken into account, she said.