New Delhi, Dec. 22: India had placed development and food security as priorities for a World Trade Organization deal and succeeded in obtaining a "re-affirmative ministerial decision" on public stockholding at the Nairobi meet, even though the future of the WTO talks appears to be in doubt.

India negotiated a ministerial declaration, which recognises that developing countries will have the right to take recourse to a special safeguard mechanism (SSM), commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Lok Sabha.

She said a large number of developing countries made demands for SSM for agricultural products. SSM will help the countries to raise tariffs in case of a sudden surge in imports or a dip in global commodity prices.

"Members will continue to negotiate the mechanism in dedicated sessions of the committee on agriculture in special session. The WTO General Council has been mandated to regularly review the progress of these negotiations," she said.

She said as the future of the Doha Round appeared doubtful, India sought and succeeded in obtaining a re-affirmative ministerial decision on public stockholding for food security purposes.

"The decision commits members to engage constructively in finding a permanent solution to this issue."

However, some sections of the civil society groups and trade experts have criticised the government on the outcome of the WTO meeting. They said India had gained nothing from it.