WTO Agreement on Agriculture
Amber Box, Green Box, and MSP Constraints
India's agricultural subsidies and support programmes operate within the framework of the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), which disciplines how member countries can support their farmers. The AoA is central to understanding why trade deals affecting agriculture generate intense domestic political sensitivity.
- Amber Box: Trade-distorting domestic support (e.g., price support, input subsidies tied to production) — subject to reduction commitments under AoA; India's Aggregate Measurement of Support (AMS) is capped at 10% of agricultural production value (de minimis level for developing countries)
- Green Box: Non-trade-distorting support (e.g., direct income payments decoupled from production, food security stockholding, disaster payments) — exempt from reduction; MSP procurement-based stockholding has been contested in this category
- Blue Box: Production-limiting programme payments — partially exempt; not widely used by India
- India's MSP-based procurement at prices above international market levels has been challenged as exceeding de minimis AMS limits — a long-running WTO dispute
● Tracked since February 10, 2026 · last seen August 25, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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