Answers to questions of the relation of rural population of Ukraine to the WTO are provided in article, and also about otstaivayemy by the Ukrainian delegation positions on level of support of agricultural industry.
To PEASANTS About the WTO: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Than interest of the public to a question of the accession of Ukraine to the WTO is caused?
Question the introduction of Ukraine vovsemirny trade body started to excite politicians, business people and the public of Ukraine not so long ago. Though Ukraine also submitted the application on the introduction to Vtoyeshche in November, 1993, interest to a kissledovaniye economic and social posledstviyety shagadlya Ukraine arose recently. Such interest was caused, on the one hand, by that negotiation process was accelerated, and the introduction in Vtopriobrelo real prospect. On the other hand, economic and sotsialnyeposledstviyavstupleniye of Ukraine in VTOne are investigated in a bylinadlezhashchy way.
A certain part of the population, especially rural, has permanent negative expectations from the accession of Ukraine to the WTO which were created as a result of political fights in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine concerning destiny of agrarian sector in the conditions of the WTO.
Why there are negative expectations from the accession of Ukraine to the WTO?
The main reason of negative expectations is the previous bitter experience of trading liberalization in Ukraine at the beginning of a transition period. The population remembers a situation when owing to liberalization of foreign trade domestic market of Ukraine was open for the cheap poor-quality import goods when own production fell into decay and workers lost workplaces. The government needed some years to pass to policy of protection of domestic market. Now, according to official figures, in the domestic agrofood market production of national producers makes 95 %.
Secondly, liberalization of world trade which carries out the WTO, is manifestation of wider process of globalization, and the relation to globalization in society not always positive.
How peasants treat a question of accession to WTO? According to the social research which has been carried out among adult rural population of Ukraine in August, 2005, nearly a quarter of peasants don’t support the accession of Ukraine to the WTO. 3nachitelnaya a share of peasants (42 %) didn’t define the relation to the introduction of Ukraine in the WTO.
What vygodyot vstupleniyav the WTO will be received by the Ukrainian peasants?
Gradually, as well as the vdrugy post-socialist countries of Europe, will occur smeshhenieakcentov the budgetary support of agricultural enterprises vstoronu supports of development of the rural zone. It is a question of advantage of actions of the WTO "green basket" over actions of" a yellow basket". It means that the state will actively keep infrastructure development in the rural zone (stroitelstvodorog, power supply networks, meliorative constructions), development of market infrastructure for personal country farms (sodejstviesbytu agricultural products, including collecting, processing and rasprostraneniyerynochny information), environmental protection, rendering of assistance to development of depressive territories.
What sushhestvuyutugrozy for domestic producers of agricultural production?
Domestic producers will have the certain losses connected with adaptation to the knovy competitive and regulatory environment. Time which has been taken away for preparation of domestic producers, is quite limited. By optimistic estimates vrezultate decrease in a rate of import duty for agricultural production for 36 % for 6 years after accession to WTO national producers poteryayut7-8 % internal an agroprodovolstvennogorynka, on pessimistic – to 30 %. Stability of consumer tastes of the population can become an encouraging factor of decrease in doliotechestvenny foodstuff in domestic market. It is possible to assume that snizheniyeimportny duties will open putna domestic market of Ukraine of rather cheaper import production. It, on the one hand, will be positive vliyatna an udovletvoreniyesprosanaseleniye, but sdrugy – is negative oboznachitsyana position of own producer that, eventually, can nullify advantages to the population, especially for the rural.
As showed experiment of the post-socialist countries-chlenovvto, producers of milk, eggs, meat, vegetables and fruit appeared the least competitive in domestic market after accession of KVTO. To Vukrain a prevailing part of vegetables and bakhchevy cultures (85,9 %), fruits and berries (85,5 %) population proizvoditsyavkhozyaystvo.
What positions are defended by the Ukrainian delegation on level of support of agricultural industry?
Today Ukraine opredelenymeropriyatiyapo to support of domestic agricultural industry, which, according to agreements of the WTO which is not subject to reduction – in the sum of 350 mln. dollars of the USA. Ukraine also defined volume of cumulative measurement of support (the annual sum of all types of the state support, on kotoryerasprostranyayutsya obyazatelstvao reduction) in the sum of 1,36 bln. dollars USA. The amount of this support should be reduced by 13 % within 10 years after the accession of Ukraine to the WTO.
How support of agricultural industry in the countries with an economy in transition changed under the influence of the WTO?
As shows experiment of the countries of the Central and Eastern Europe, level of support of agricultural industry is determined not so much by their obligations by reduction of cumulative measurement of support (HOARSED), how many budget possibilities. The indicator of the resolved level of support of agricultural industry of the Czech Republic and Poland is established at such high level that level of the actual cumulative support doesn’t exceed 11 % resolved. Most "intense" are implementation of arrangements on decrease in level of cumulative support of agricultural industry for Slovenia. But Slovenia is closest to EU countries on gross domestic product level per capita among the former post-socialist countries since has great opportunities for support of own agricultural producers.
As a result of implementation of requirements of the WTO in the countries to an economy in transition in agricultural industry there was a gradual change of structure of internal support of branch in the direction of growth of a share of actions of "a green basket". (Continuation follows)
(On newspaper materials Agricultural industry in the conditions of the WTO).