"In the area of multilateral negotiations, we are pledged to fully protect our national interests, especially of the farmers," Kamal Nath told his first news conference since being appointed late Sunday to serve in the communist-backed Congress government.

"India's agriculture sector is very particular to the country" and cannot be compared to other G-20 developing nations, Nath added.

More than 60 percent of India's population of more than one billion people depend either directly or indirectly on agriculture for a living.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is heading into meetings to conclude the so-called Doha round of trade liberalisation talks by the end of the year.

India is a key player at global trade forums and banded with other developing countries at the failed WTO talks in Cancun last September.

Agriculture has suddenly been brought to the fore in India due to the stunning electoral defeat of the Hindu nationalist government, swept from power earlier in May on a tide of anger reflecting rural voters' unhappiness about being excluded from India's economic boom.

"The farm sector will remain the backdrop of our negotiations. The flexibility afforded in the existing WTO agreement will be used to fully protect our interests," Nath said.

Differences over the future of agricultural export subsidies have been a key sticking point stalling efforts to eliminate global trade barriers through the Doha Round of WTO negotiations.

Nath said that another priority area would be services exports, such as information technology in which India has carved a niche globally.

India wants developed nations to liberalise issuing visas to their IT professionals and has demanded that developed nations allow firms in their countries to outsource work freely to developing countries.