Agriculture must be negotiated as a package deal.
To that end, the US cotton industry will support broad-based reform in agricultural trade, but they will oppose a negotiating approach and any agreement that singles out cotton for unfair, inequitable treatment.'
Both letters stated that 'the' emphasis on one, rather than the whole, not only undermines support in the United States but erodes the credibility of the WTO as an instrument for global policy change.'
The Congressional letters stated that the emphasis on the US cotton program was 'based on economic analysis that has been repeatedly discredited by more thorough and scholarly work published by university researchers, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the International Monetary Fund.'
The letter, which follows statements made by other members of Congress earlier in the week, echoes the sentiments expressed by Senator Chambliss (R-GA) in a floor statement in which he described France's position on cotton subsidies as 'shameless' given that 'Europe has four times the allowable level of support as the United States.'
Chambliss, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, stated that, 'Calls for an early harvest on cotton are unwise. He will oppose any resolution of the cotton issue without the conclusion of an underlying agriculture agreement.'
The National Cotton Council of America's mission is to ensure the ability of all US cotton industry segments to compete effectively and profitably in the raw cotton, oilseed and US-manufactured product markets at home and abroad.
It serves as the central forum for consensus-building among producers, ginners, warehousers, merchants, cottonseed processors/dealers, cooperatives and textile manufacturers.
The organization is the unifying force in working with the government to ensure that cotton's interests are considered.
National Cotton Council of America
marketing@alchempro.com
