Sectoral Initiative on Cotton is within rules of WTO

05 Apr '07

3 min read

A Conference on the Trade and Development Aspects of Cotton in the Doha Round was held on 23 March 2007 in Accra Ghana as a component of the Fifth Annual Meeting of the African Cotton Association (A.C.A.). The ICAC Secretariat and the A.C.A., in cooperation with the WTO Secretariat, organized the Conference. Oxfam America and Oxfam Great Britain supported the Conference.

H.E. Ambassador Samuel Amehou, Ambassador of Benin to International Organizations in Geneva, gave the keynote address, and Mr. Ibrahim Malloum, President of the A.C.A. served as chair. Mr. Chiedu Osakwe, Director, Doha Development Agenda Special Duties Division, took part. In addition, Mr. Celestin T. Tiendrebeogo, Directeur General, SOFITEX, Burkina Faso; Mr. Muzoora Hans Windsor, Principal Market Information and Monitoring Officer, CDO, Uganda; and Mr. Mohammed Adam Nashiru, Representative of Ghanaian Cotton Farmers Association provided their perspectives as panelists.

Major Conclusions From the Conference:
Athletes Who Use Drugs Are Banned From Competition; Likewise, Producers Who Receive Subsidies Should Not Be Allowed To Continue To Compete: African participants believe that the current regimen of government measures in cotton is unfair. Africans emphasize that a relatively small number of farmers in developed countries receive billions of dollars in direct support each season that distort production and trade, while approximately 20 million cotton growers in Africa receive almost no direct income or price support.

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