India has strongly rejected allegations from five countries—the US, Australia, Canada, Argentina, and Ukraine—who accused it of "underreporting" its Minimum Support Price (MSP) for rice and wheat in its World Trade Organization (WTO) notifications for the period 2021-2023. These countries argued that India had dramatically underreported the MSP for these staples, raising concerns about compliance with WTO rules.

India responded by dismissing these claims as hasty, misleading, and unnecessary. The country reiterated its commitment to fulfilling all WTO obligations related to domestic support notifications.

India emphasized that the allegations stemmed from a selective interpretation of WTO regulations, and pointed out that the WTO does not provide a clear definition for calculating MSP.

The accusations were based on the argument that India's MSP for rice exceeded 87% of the value of production (VoP) in some years, and that MSP for wheat was between 67-75%.

According to WTO rules, any MSP exceeding 10% of the VoP is prohibited for developing countries. The complainants claimed that India had calculated its MSP based on the entire production capacity, rather than only the subsidized portion of the crop.

Additionally, India's notifications were submitted in US dollars, while its domestic support commitments are in Indian rupees.

India defended its position by stating that it had used the "peace clause" to justify exceeding the 10% MSP limit for rice in certain years, but not for wheat.

The country also highlighted that developing nations should have more flexibility in protecting their vulnerable populations and promoting food security.

India urged the concerned countries to prioritize their own notifications and maintain transparency in their practices, signaling the need for constructive dialogue within the WTO framework.