WTO and Indian Agricultural Trade Performance of Sugar, Tea and Cotton

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to examine the Indian agricultural trade performance of sugar, tea and cotton under WTO regime. The analysis shows that trade performance of the commodities has been remarkable and it has been favorable for India and it has accessed new markets for its agricultural products. It is growing with initial volume and value which is considerable for a new commodity under export. In the case of commodities like cotton and sugar, India occasionally exports large quantity but there is no consistent trend in these exports. Exports of traditional items from India like tea could not keep pace with the study period. WTO has helped India to access new markets and address trade disputes, awarding and getting MFN status to countries India trades with and standardization of the trade practices, but still a slew of the improvements are required to bring the Indian agricultural trade to noticeable scale in international market place.