At two months of the meeting of Agriculture Ministers of the G20, Paris, France is stepping up efforts to convince its partners, including emerging markets, the need to control the prices of raw materials. The fight against the volatility of agricultural prices is one of three priorities for the French presidency of the G20, with the reform of the international monetary system and taxation of financial transactions.
Bruno Le Maire has made two key visits this week to Moscow and Brasilia. The ministerial meeting in Brazil was "a success," says one in the entourage of Le Maire. The Brazilians were very reserved in respect of the French proposals now seem reassured. "Bruno The Mayor has made clear that the control would only financial manipulation in the market for agricultural products," said the Brazilian minister, Wagner Rossi."We were surprised to see Brazil, strongly supports greater regulation in the markets," said a member of the French delegation.
Transparency of financial markets is one of three priority reforms to limit price volatility, according to experts from FAO, OECD and World Bank, who wrote a report on the issue for the French presidency of the G20 .
Very sensitive because it addresses the controversial role of speculation in rising commodity prices, this subject has been left to finance ministers of the G20. It will be discussed next week in Washington.
Unilateral decision
In Moscow, the ministerial discussions focused on another sensitive issue: the unilateral restrictions on exports.August 5, Moscow's decision to freeze its wheat exports to the fires and drought caused exceptional sharp rise in prices on international markets. This reaction is not concerted, which goes against the principles of free trade the WTO has been criticized by Paris. France hopes in the G20, impose a mandatory consultation ahead of this kind of decision in order to prevent abuse, and to take measures to protect poorer countries against rising prices.
On this issue, Bruno Le Maire is sparing no effort, he will have met four times his Russian colleague, Elena Skrynnik. "Moscow agrees on the principle of cooperation in upstream, on the protection of the most vulnerable," says a close case.France, which claims to have joined Brazil and Russia to its cause, must now convince another heavyweight G20: China, world's largest producer of wheat. "Beijing is far from conducive to transparency on stocks," says Michael Porter, Director of Agritel, risk expert on agricultural markets.
In its global offensive, France has discovered another restive country to its arguments: Australia, great agricultural power. "Australia is the country most recalcitrant!" Said a negotiator. "For them, the volatility of agricultural prices is a non-issue! Bruno Le Maire there will soon travel to Sydney to achieve its purpose? Nothing is excluded …
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