US President Barack Obama
pledged to curb direct payments to agricultural producers on Tuesday, addressing a key road block in stalled World Trade Organization talks.
During his first address to a joint session of Congress since taking office in January, Obama
vowed to "end direct payments to large agribusinesses that don't need them."
WTO members have been struggling to agree a new set of rules for world trade since talks were launched in Doha in 2001, with agriculture frequently at the center of the disputes.
Talks have spluttered and stalled as emerging economies challenged US and European Union farm spending and amid opposition to safeguards protecting agricultural sectors in the developing world.
Under plans currently on the table, rich country's subsidies would decrease by 70-80 percent, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy said on Monday.Agence France Presse
