Japan wants 8% of farm products exempt from big tariff cuts: minister

GENEVA, July 19 Kyodo - Japan will try to achieve the target of exempting at least 8 percent of all farm products from substantial tariff cuts at next week's key meeting of the Doha Round global trade talks in Geneva, Japan's farm minister said Saturday.

''I think getting more than 10 percent is very difficult,'' Masatoshi Wakabayashi, agriculture, forestry and fisheries minister, told reporters at the World Trade Organization's headquarters in the Swiss city. ''But I don't think I can go back (to Japan) with 6 percent.''

The latest text by the WTO for the farm negotiations states that 4-6 percent of all farm products will be exempted from substantial tariff cuts.

Japan had long argued that its so-called ''sensitive products'' including rice, sugar and wheat should account for more than 10 percent of the total farm products.

This is the first time Japan has lowered the numerical target.
Although the upcoming negotiations will be ''very tough,'' Wakabayashi said Japan will do its best to raise the percentage from 6 percent.
''At least 8 percent we want to attain,'' he said.

At the news conference, held shortly after he had talks with EU trade chief Peter Mandelson, Wakabayashi also said Japan and the European Union agreed that the two major economies will work closely together to protect their sensitive farm products at the ministerial meeting, starting Monday.

Wakabayashi said Japan and the European Union share many interests, including their strong opposition to the idea of introducing a tariff cap on farm products, which has been requested by developing countrie