68th Plenary Meeting of the ICAC to be held in September

12 May '09

2 min read

The meeting will be held during September 7-11, 2009 in Cape Town, South Africa. Arrangements for the meeting are being led by the Business Development Unit, Department of Agriculture, Government of the Republic of South Africa. The leadership of Cotton South Africa and all segments of the South African cotton industry are supporting efforts to host the 68th Plenary Meeting.

The Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) will serve as the venue of the meeting. The CTICC is a large professionally managed business and convention center fully able to accommodate all the logistical needs of the plenary meeting. A variety of hotels are within walking distance of the CTICC, and the historic Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, combining history, leisure, shopping and sightseeing is nearby.

The theme of the 68th Plenary Meeting is The Role of Cotton in Economic Development and Ensuring Food Security During a Period of Global Economic Crisis. The format of each session is designed to optimize time for discussion.

Topics during Plenary and Open Sessions will include:
• Positioning Cotton as a Solution to Global Problems
• Policies to Enhance Food Security
- The Role of Bt Cotton
- Government Responses When Agricultural Prices are Below the Cost of Production
• Facilitating Small-Holder Cotton Production
- Stakeholder Relations to Move Cotton Forward
- Government Policies to Ensure that Cotton Production is Viable
• Cottonseed and Value Addition
• Outlook for Supply, Demand and Prices of Cotton and Inputs
• Overcoming Impediments to Progress in Multilateral Trade Negotiations
• Technical Seminar: “Biosafety Regulations, Implementation and Consumer Acceptance”
• The Impacts of Social and Environmental Standards on Demand for Cotton and Textiles

The following topics will be discussed during Breakout and Roundtable Sessions:
• The Role of Organic Cotton in the Cotton Industry
• Best Practices in Instrument Testing
• Progress Toward Harmonization of Trade Rules
• The Impacts of Carbon Trading on the Cotton Industry
• Enhancing Demand for Cotton Products
• Best Practices in Cotton Ginning
• The Role of Organizations in the Cotton Economy

The following meetings will occur on the margins of the Plenary Meeting:
• Meeting of the Private Sector Advisory Panel
• Meeting of the Task Force on Commercial Standardization of Instrument Testing of Cotton
• Meeting of the Expert Panel on Social, Environmental and Economic Performance of Cotton
• Business Meeting of the International Forum for Cotton Promotion
• Meeting of Plenary Meeting Organizing Committees

International Cotton Advisory Committee

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