The G33 (or the Friends of Special Products in agriculture)[1] is a coalition of developing countries, established prior to the 2003 Cancun ministerial conference, that have coordinated during the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations, specifically in regard to agriculture.
Dominated by India, the group has "defensive" concerns regarding agriculture in relation to World Trade Organization negotiations, and seeks to limit the degree of market opening required of developing countries.
While rich governments can afford to heavily subsidize their agriculture, predatory dumping can undermine a poorer country's agricultural economy. Developing countries aim to balance power through tariffs, in order to manage their own food security, stabilize the livelihoods of their farming populations, and to strengthen rural development.[2]
The group has advocated the creation of a "special products" exemption, which would allow developing countries to exempt certain products from tariff exemptions, and also a "special safeguard mechanism" which would permit tariff increases in response to import surges.[3]
Despite the name, there are currently 48 member nations.[1]
Antigua and Barbuda
Barbados
Belize
Benin
China
Cote d'Ivoire
Cuba
El Salvador
Grenada
Guyana
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
India
Indonesia
Jamaica
Kenya
Madagascar
Mongolia
Mozambique
Nicaragua
Nigeria
Pakistan
Panama
Philippines
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Senegal
Sri Lanka
Suriname
Turkey
Uganda
Zimbabwe
Dominican Republic
Mauritius
Trinidad and Tobago
Zambia