Despite higher than average rainfall since the beginning of the current monsoon season, the country is likely to escape major flooding this year, meteorologists said yesterday. Weather experts at the meteorological department said they did not foresee heavy rainfalls posing a problem in the coming months. "Analysing the meteorological data, we can say that there is very little possibility for a major flooding this summer," Arjumand Habib said. The flood-prone country was severely affected by major flooding last year, which left 1.3 crore people marooned and more than 1,000 people dead. Summer floods are common in Banglaesh as monsoon rains sweep the Indian subcontinent from June to September which, combined with Himalayan snow melting, feeds major rivers that run to the Bay of Bengal. Last year's floods submerged more than 40 per cent of the country's landmass, damaging rice crops across a widespread area, which later contributed to a food crisis. Arjumand Habib said heavier rainfall would result in better crops this year, helping farmers and easing the risk of a food crisis. The government has targeted a record harvest of more than 1.3 crore metric tonnes of rice during the rainy season, up at least 30 per cent from last year. The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) is also optimistic that flooding will not pose a problem this year. "We have 50 years of monsoon rains data. So far the monsoon is behaving most satisfactorily," said Saiful Hossain, chief analyst of FFWC. Doha round trade talk begins in Geneva: Trade in agriculture, industrial market access top agenda Staff Reporter The much-talked-about Doha round talks of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) began Geneva yesterday with an aim to make a breakthrough in the stalled Doha Round trade negotiations. The focus of the talks will be on trade in agriculture and industrial market access, the two key issues that have eluded consensus since negotiations started in the Qatar capital of Doha in 2001. In the week-long meeting, the ministers will try to reach agreement on the modalities of agriculture and NAMA (non-agricultural market access), which include the methods and formulas of subsidy and tariff cuts. The United States yesterday said that it was prepared to cut farm subsidies to secure a global trade deal but called on big emerging countries like India, Brazil and China to play their part too. The United States is ready to help bring the long-running Doha round to a successful close by cutting its trade-distorting farm subsidies -- a central goal of developing countries, US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said. "To have a meaningful development outcome to this roundt we know that we have to secure meaningful new market access in agriculture, manufacturing and services and that is particularly true when it comes to the interests of the developing countriest," Schwab told a news conference. Commerce Adviser Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman is attending the meeting with a 14-member delegation. Bangladesh will press the developed countries for allowing duty-free and quota free market access of least developed country goods. World Bank President Robert Zoellick has called the meeting "now or never" for the Doha round, which was launched nearly seven years ago with goals to cut farm subsidies and tariffs, and to help developing countries prosper through trade. The talks, billed to last all week, also cover manufactured goods and services, areas where rich countries like the United States and the European Union hope to make gains that will help them sell politically painful farm trade reforms at home. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson described the World Trade Organisation talks as a "once in a generation" opportunity to reform agriculture and keep markets open. It's very, very important. We will only have further trade liberalisation in the future, we will only have rising living standards for people around the world, especially in developing countries, if we get the decisions this week right," he told reporters as he went into the talks. But the developing countries say the onus is very much on rich nations to make the necessary changes. "Soaring fuel and food prices are a stark reminder of the continuing inequalities of global agriculture trade. Developed countries are today responsible for the greatest distortions in the global trading system," Egypt's Trade Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid said. The Doha Round, formally known as the Doha Development Agenda, was launched with the aim of reducing global trade barriers and help poor countries achieve economic development. It has missed all previous deadlines for conclusion, mainly because of differences between developed and developing WTO member countries on agricultural subsidies and industrial tariffs. Rich countries like the United States are under pressure to cut substantially its huge farm subsidies, which developing countries say are distorting world trade. Developing nations also want greater access to markets in rich countries for their agricultural products. In return, industrialised countries are demanding a better deal for their manufactured goods in developing markets. WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy, in an informal meeting of the Trade Negotiations Committee, said that members are "within reach of a major step in our drive to conclude the Round this year". He could think of "no stronger spur for our action than the threats facing the world economy across several fronts, including rises in food prices and energy prices and financial market turbulences". Sharply rising prices for food and energy, rapidly decelerating economic growth and instability in international markets have raised concern in all corners of the world, Lamy said in a statement. "Striking a deal in the coming days would send a signal to the world that working together we can address these problems," he said.