WTO Agreement on Agriculture
Public Stockholding and the "Peace Clause"
Public Stockholding (PSH) programmes, under which governments procure food at administered prices to build buffer stocks for food security, can breach the WTO's Agreement on Agriculture subsidy ceilings calculated using an outdated 1986-88 reference price. At the 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference (WTO's 9th Ministerial), members adopted an interim "Peace Clause" shielding developing countries from legal challenge over PSH-related subsidy breaches until a permanent solution is negotiated.
- Bali Ministerial Declaration adopted: 7 December 2013 (9th WTO Ministerial Conference)
- The Peace Clause protects PSH programmes from WTO dispute settlement action, subject to notification and transparency conditions
- A permanent solution to the PSH issue remains under negotiation; India has repeatedly invoked the Peace Clause while reporting subsidies for rice procurement
- India's PSH-linked PDS network covers over 810 million beneficiaries, underlying its negotiating position at the WTO
● Tracked since February 10, 2026 · last seen September 19, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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