Geneva, 28 July 2020. Mr. Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, made a presentation on behalf of FAO to the World Trade Organization's Committe on Agriculture outlining the supply chain disruptions and a snapshot of policy responses thereon. The FAO Chief Economist highlighted that there is no problem, at present, with the food supply but [reducing, due to COVID-19] access to food may pose as a significant challenge. Mr. Torero also highlighted various reporting mechanisms and tools by the FAO, such as the AMIS, FAPDA and FPMA.

The WTO Members had asked the WTO Secretariat to invite other international organizations to obtain their perspectives and work in responding to the food security challenges posed by the COVID-19. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the International Grains Council (IGC), and the International Trade Center (ITC) were invited to make presentations as well.

On the occasion, IFPRI  anticipated that, due to COVID-19, a fall in agriculture demand, increase in food insecurity and poverty. IGC pointed out the sufficient global stocks and stable prices of grains in the global market and mentioned that, until now, there was no indication that COVID-19 crisis will significantly impact the grains stocks and trade. ITC’s presentation focused on the result of a survey that they conducted in the context of COVID-19 crisis, showing that agriculture-related Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) are less affected than the other sectors, but the issue of logistics figured prominently.