Asian Rice Policies and WTO Commitments on Domestic Support Under Existing and Proposed Doha Round Provisions

We examine current rice policies in four major Asian countries (China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan), their relationship to current WTO disciplines, and to those proposed under the Doha negotiations. WTO disciplines have prompted some changes in rice policies, but disciplines of domestic support are unlikely to impose serious constraints in the future. Using the example of Taiwan, we examine how existing support policies could be changed to reduce domestic distortions and satisfy WTO commitments. Changing from existing amber box payments to those that would likely qualify for inclusion under the blue or green boxes could allow greater market orientation in Taiwan’s rice market, while satisfying food security and farm income support objectives.