The double standards of US aid & trade policy towards developing countries have yet again been exposed with the US retaining penalty tariff on imports of shrimps from India and Thailand.



The US International Trade Commission (ITC) voted unanimously that the US industry would continue to be injured by imports of shrimp from India and Thailand if penalty tariffs were removed. The ITC’s investigation came under a procedure known as “changed circumstances” which it had launched in last April.



Both India and Thailand were hit hard by the tsunami occurred at the end of last year which flooded shrimp farms, destroyed fishing boats and killed thousands of fishermen. The two Asian countries have said that the tariffs should be lifted to help producers hurt by the tsunami.



Though the US gave aid worth hundreds of millions of dollars for the victims of the tsunami that devastated parts of South and South East Asian countries, when it came to practically help the people in the rehabilitation process, it chose to submit to the local lobby of shrimp farmers.



Similarly in WTO forums, countries like India, China and Brazil along with a host of African, Latin American and Asian countries have raised the issue of farm subsidies that western countries give to their local farmers artificially lowering prices, thus making it virtually impossible for farmers of poor countries to compete with them in open markets with their produce. Ironically the US is the largest aid donor in the world.



News source : People’s Daily Online5109