After G20 Meeting of Agriculture Ministers in Argentina, the growth issued a statement on Saturday to pledge on reform and criticism protectionism. In the statement, it said that “recognizing the important role of the WTO, we agree to continue the reform process of agricultural trade rules within the given mandate.” Also, “we are concerned about the increasing use of protectionist non-tariff measures, inconsistently with WTO rules.” The group also pledged to “refrain from adopting unnecessary obstacles to international trade”
US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on the sideline of the meeting that Trump’s USD 12B in aids are “not going to make farmers whole”. German Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner said farmers “don’t need aid, (they) need trade.” Kloeckner also emphasized that “we don’t want unilateral protectionist measures.” She also warned that “we all know what happens if a single person or country doesn’t adhere to WTO rules, trying to get a benefit for themselves through protectionism,” and “this will usually lead to retaliatory tariffs.”
