The Indian government has appealed against the WTO ruling on sugar export subsidies. According to the news agency PTI, in its appeal to the appellate body, India has stated that the ruling by the trade dispute settlement panel has made certain “erroneous” findings about the domestic schemes to support the cane growers and are totally unacceptable.
Brazil, Australia and Guatemala had filed a complaint against export subsidy granted by the Indian government to promote sugar exports.
Passing a judgement on the complaint, the panel had on December 14, 2021 stated that India’s sugar subsidies are inconsistent with WTO trade rules and India should withdraw the subsidies within 120 days from the adoption of the report.
Earlier, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry had informed that there would be no impact of the WTO panel’s findings on Sugar on any of India’s existing and ongoing policy measures in the sugar sector. According to the ministry, the findings of the panel are completely unacceptable to India. The panel’s findings are unreasonable and not supported by the WTO rules. The Panel has also evaded key issues which it was obliged to determine. Similarly, the panel’s findings on alleged export subsidies undermine logic and rationale
