India rejects WTO Panel's findings on its sugar policies

New Delhi: Terming them "completely unacceptable", India on Tuesday said, there would be no impact of World Trade Organisation (WTO) Panel's findings on any of the country's existing and ongoing policy measures in the sugar sector.

"India has initiated all measures necessary to protect its interest and (decided to) file an appeal at the WTO against the report, to protect the interests of its farmers," a statement from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said.

At the WTO in 2019, Australia, Brazil, and Guatemala had challenged some of India's policy measures in the sugar sector. "They had wrongly claimed that domestic support provided by India to sugarcane producers is in excess of the limit allowed by the WTO and that India provides prohibited export subsidies to sugar mills," the release said.

"The Panel issued its report on December 14, in which it has made certain erroneous findings about our schemes to support sugarcane producers and exports," it said.

Stating that the findings of the Panel are "completely unacceptable to India", the statement said: "The Panel's findings are unreasoned 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 undermines logic and rationale."

India believes that its measures are consistent with its obligations under the WTO agreements, the statement added.