Developing countries say farming central to WTO deal

GENEVA (Reuters) - Opening up rich countries' farm markets is crucial for a deal on world trade, and the Doha round of trade talks will not succeed without agreement on agriculture, developing countries said on Thursday.

Ministers and senior officials representing nearly 100 developing countries reiterated at meetings called by Brazil at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that development was at the heart of the agenda of the Doha round, launched six years ago.

Farming is central to development, they said.

"Most of the world's farmers live in developing countries. They continue to be burdened by gigantic trade-distorting subsidies and prohibitive market access barriers in developed countries," a joint statement said.

"Addressing these distortions effectively is the most important unfinished task in the WTO."