New Delhi: Blaming the US for its rigid stand on the contentious issue of farm subsidies and the collapse of WTO talks in Geneva, India on Tuesday said it will not budge from its position till "structural flaws" in the global trading system are corrected.
Back from the meeting of G-6 countries, which failed to bridge differences in the Doha Round of trade talks, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said in the Lok Sabha and later at a press conference that there was "no roadmap for the future".
"There are big gaps in mindsets. The US brought nothing to the table. It (US) wants market access in India and other developing countries for their subsidised agricultural products at the cost of security of livelihood of our farmers and this is not acceptable," he said.
"The US offer (to reduce subsidies) is not enough. In fact, it is no offer," he said. The US gives $19.5 billion as domestic support and wants the flexibility to increase it by another three billion dollars, he added.
With the future of WTO talks uncertain, Nath said India would be discussing with other developing countries to remain united to ensure that no unfair rules were imposed.
Nath said the US has been virtually isolated in the trade talks, since even the European Union has supported the position of developing countries led by India and Brazil.
Asked whether the breakdown of talks could affect India's economic growth or trade, Nath replied in the negative.
"It will not have any impact on our economy or trade. Our GDP is growing at 8-9 per cent per year and it would continue.
The country's exports are growing at a rapid rate," he said.
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