Sweet News on International Trade Court Decision

A DECISIVE win for Australia due to a World Trade Organisation (WTO) decision in relation to India’s sugar subsidies for farmers and disruption of the world sugar price is great news and this is something I was instrumental in pushing for.

 I joined with LNP colleagues from other sugar-producing regions to take on India in what is essentially an international sugar court, and we’ve won.

 This decision will be welcomed by cane farmers throughout the state, who have lost what is estimated to be $1 billion in revenue between 2017-18 and 2020-21.

 We started this process at the end of 2018, so it’s a slow process, but we now have a ruling from the WTO that India must removed their export subsidies within 120 days.  

 Now we need to see India act.

 However this is very sweet news for our canegrowers right before Christmas.

“I have previously acknowledged the actions of my Federal colleagues and grower organisations who stood together on this issue and our ministers who prosecuted our case and I thank them again: former Trade Minister Simon Birmingham and former Assistant Trade Minister Mark Coulton, CANEGROWERS, the Australian Sugar Milling Council, Burdekin District Cane Growers and MPs Michelle Landry, Keith Pitt, Ken O’Dowd, Llew O’Brien, Warren Entsch and former senator Ian Macdonald.”