With differences between India and the US cropping up on several key issues, a consensus even on an ‘early harvest package' or ‘Plan B' of the Doha Round by December-end seems unlikely, according to Government officials.

These differences are on most aspects of the ‘Plan B', including providing market access to Least Developed Countries (LDCs), reducing of subsidies on cotton and fisheries, and eliminating duties on environmental goods.

The WTO members are attempting to reach a consensus at least on ‘Plan B' (which has fewer issues) by December-end as they are finding it difficult to conclude by this year-end the initially planned comprehensive multilateral agreement on liberalisation of global trade in agriculture, industrial goods and services.

On the LDC package, India says that according to the 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration, the developed countries have to provide Duty Free Quota Free access to at least 97 per cent of products from the LDCs, while the same is only voluntary for developing countries.

However, the developed countries are now asking developing countries to contribute to LDCs as much as they do, though India and China have covered 94 per cent and 95 per cent of the LDC products respectively, the officials said. This demand of the developed world amounts to going back on the Hong Kong mandate, they said.

They said the US' demand to eliminate duties on ‘environmental goods' was “silly” as Washington wants to include even items that have no relation to ‘environmental/green goods'.

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