Abstract: Public stockholding (PSH) for food security purposes remains one of the most persistent and unresolved issues in the agriculture negotiations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). In many developing countries, such programmes play a crucial role in supporting farmers’ livelihoods by ensuring stable prices and demand, stabilizing domestic food markets while enhancing food access for low-income households. Despite their developmental importance, PSH programmes continue to attract divergent views among WTO Members in agriculture negotiations. This paper traces the evolution from the Food Security Box proposal and the Doha Ministerial mandates to the Bali Peace Clause, highlighting the unfulfilled mandate for a permanent solution to PSH. It also examines how existing disciplines under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), including the fixed 1986-88 External Reference Price (ERP) and the Eligible Production for procurement, constrain the policy space available to developing countries for implementing food security programmes. In addition, the paper examines a proposal for a Permanent Solution to PSH, co-sponsored by more than 75 WTO Members and reviews recent submissions, ahead of the Fourteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14), highlighting differing negotiating approaches of Members. It argues that delivering a credible permanent solution is essential to safeguard food security and protect the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers.