Mumbai: India has offered to cut tariffs in some industries while it sought greater access for its services in the US and the European Union and substantive reductions in western agricultural subsidies.

Union commerce and industry minister Kamal Nath, however, said, ``unless binding commitments are made by developed countries, there can be no agreement.''

Kamal Nath was addressing a news conference on the eve of the mini-ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), starting next week in Geneva.

India had already relaxed access to its robust service sector easier for western investors and would be willing to consider industrial tariff cuts in some industries, instead of greater access to the service sector, he said.

India, he said, is willing to consider tariff cuts in some industries if the US and the European Union members agree to cut farm subsidies.

India, with a majority of its people engaged in agriculture, will protect the livelihoods of its farmers and seeks special safeguards with volume and price benchmarks that are easily operational, Nath said.

He said the government is looking at ways to lower tariffs on some segments such as gems and jewellery against the demand for greater non-agricultural market access (NAMA). India, the world's largest producer of jewelry, exported gems and jewelry worth $20.9 billion in the year ended 31 March.

The service sector has a 55-per cent share in the country's GDP and India has on its own liberalised the sector in recent years by lowering the sectoral cap on foreign investment, he pointed out.

While India may signal new sub-sectors and making improvements in sub-sectors already offered, these would be contingent on the developed countries addressing India's interest in mode-1 (cross-border trade) and in mode-4 (movement of natural persons as service providers), he said.

Kamal Nath will not be participating at the WTO deliberations amidst the crucial confidence vote back home and has designated commerce secretary G K Pillai to represent him at the meeting. Nath said he will travel to Geneva after July 22.

WTO negotiations under the Doha Round have been dragging on for over six years in the past for lack of consensus among developed and developing countries on lowering barriers.