Trade ministers found the going tough to come to a consensus towards a new pact to boost global commerce by the trade ministers and also they are facing an immediate challenge from African cotton farmers demanding to cut down subsidies. Some of the Ministers from 149 members the World Trade Organization are trying to bridge long-standing differences on trade in farm products, industrial goods and services. The possibility of a major breakthrough is slim because of deep-seated differences between the European Union and the United States and this also between developed and developing countries over farm trade and market access. Africa's poor cotton producers warned that they would refuse to endorse any consensus if rich countries failed to commit themselves to reducing cotton subsidies.
Mr. Ibrahim Malloum, head of the African Cotton Producers Association told to reporters on Wednesday (14thDec) that, “We came here to get concrete results, not to hear more proposals that will never be respected”. The African cotton producers are very angry as the subsidies paid by farmers are high in the developed world, especially in the United States, were a major factor in the collapse of the 2003 WTO meeting in Cancun, Mexico. Malloum said “if we don't get concrete results, Africa will not be able to go along with a consensus,” as he don’t want to repeat the same in Hong Kong. The cotton issue comes up for discussion in a few days.
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| Speaking at the talks Wednesday, the United States said it was looking ahead to a new WTO meeting to break the deadlock in the so-called Doha Round of trade talks, which were launched in Qatar in 2001 and are due to be completed by the end of 2006. Mr. Peter Mandelson the EU Trade Commissioner repeated the same that Europe would offer no bigger concessions on agriculture subsidies and tariffs, putting pressure on its trading partners to move first. The EU and US also exchanged barb over another irritant -- food aid reform, with an EU official telling reporters: “Food aid policies are being exploited for commercial interest.” The US was quick to reply, “The fact of the matter is that the European Union does some very good work in development but in terms of food assistance, they're missing in action,” said a US official, speaking on background.
Early this Wednesday, around 20 militant South Korean farmers, closely followed by around 150 press photographers, tried briefly to force their way through police lines. Mr. Bo Xilai Chinese Commerce Minister when addressing to WTO plenary session said the poorest nations should get preferential treatment in any new global trade pact. Mr. Bo also said, “if rural populations who are already in poverty are exposed to more serious negative impact, disasters can be triggered. Developed countries wouldn't be free of trouble either”. China announced earlier it would cut import tariffs on more than 100 categories of goods from January 1 to honor its WTO commitments. 
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