House: 40/A, Road: 10/A, Dhanmondi, Dhaka–1209, BangladeshTel: 880-2-815 82 74, Fax: 880-2- 815 9135

E-mail: info@unnayan.org; Website: www.unnayan.org

Undercutting Small Farmers 

Trade Negotiations and the Trade Negotiations and the Livelihood of the PeopleLivelihood of the People

Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir

Figure - 9: Un-weighted tariff rates on Major Agricultural Commodities

020406080

100120

Rice

Wheat

Sugar

Oilseed

Edible oil: crude

Edible oil: refined

Onion

Chilies (dry)

Potato

Milk

Pulses

Maize

Group

Tar

iff

Rat

es (

%)

1991-92 2003-04

AMS in Bangladesh

Total support as % of output value

1.54 1.58

1.19

0.891.03

0.7 0.67

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.81

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02

Fiscal year

Pe

rce

nta

ge

Total support as %of output value

AMS in Bangladesh Compared with India

KEY Messages

• Shrinking government support threatening the livelihood of small farmers

• Growing subsidies in the exporting countries marginalising small farmers

• Fundamental Shift in the WTO: From Riches to Need-based Support System

Government &Parliament of Bangladesh, World Bank,Influential Northern

Governments & Parliaments

Primary Output Recipients Target Institutions

Public debate in Bangladesh

Policy makers involved

in the process

NorthernGroups

Alliance, Working

Group and Secretariat

Grassroots Mobilisations

Campaigners

Operational Strategy and InstrumentsOperational Strategy and Instruments

Parliaments(Letters,

Briefings)

Governments(Letters,

Briefings)

Media(Articles,

Workshop)Demonstration

Mobilisation

Consultation Meetings

Info Bulletin

InstrumentsInstruments

Nobody educates anybody, nobody educate himself, people educate themselves mutually, through their collective organisations

LessonsLessons

Differentiating Components

Concepts/

Language

Themes/Texts/

Discourse

Authorities/

Identities

Dominion

Framing Cultural Penetration Political Penetration

Change

Expansion/

Contraction

Intensification/

Simplification

Systematisation/

Diffusion

Merging/

Factioning

Mutation Rupture