Commerce Minister Kamal Nath will participate in the ministerial meeting of the group of 33 countries (G-33) at Jakarta June 11-12 to discuss special products and safeguard mechanisms in multilateral trade.

The ministers are expected to discuss these two issues within the World Trade Organisation (WTO) so that the sensitivities of G-33 members can be factored in the first approximation expected in July, a press release said.

The focus will be on the parameters laid down in the framework agreement of the WTO entered on Aug 1 last year that contains two major elements of interest to developing countries in agricultural market access.

These are flexibility to developing countries to designate appropriate number of products as special products based on their food security and special mechanism against surge in imports to safeguard domestic producers of farm products.

"Rural development and food and livelihood security constitute the main concerns of most developing countries in the current agriculture negotiations," the press release said.

Indonesia is the coordinator of the G-33 that now has 42 member countries such as Barbados, China, Congo, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mauritius, Madagascar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uganda, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Of these, 10 members are common to both groupings - China, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Tanzania, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. 

While G-20 consists of developing countries with exporting interests as well as defensive interests in the farm sector, G-33 includes only those developing countries with defensive interests in agriculture.