Six trade ministers of African countries dependent on cotton exports called Tuesday for fair play in the international trade of cotton and for rich countries to close the gap between pledges and delivery of aid to the African cotton sector while outstanding trade issues are worked out.
Trade ministers from three of the so-called African "Cotton Four" countries -- Benin, Chad, and Mali -- attended the UNCTAD Secretary-General's Multistakeholder Meeting on Cotton. Also present were ministers from Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Zimbabwe. The Cotton Four nations, which also include Burkina Faso, depend on this agricultural commodity for 30% to 60% of their exports.
UNCTAD Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi told the meeting that "The phase-out of the Multifibre Agreement from 2004 led to production shifts to low-cost locations" such as Africa. That opportunity should be seized, he said. "That is why it is so important at this point in time to eliminate trade-distorting measures and market-access barriers." He said another major issue involved in boosting developing-country cotton exports is improving the competitiveness of such nations.
The Minister of Commerce and Industry of Mali, Ahamadou Abdoulaye Diallo, making an opening statement on behalf of the Cotton Four, said “To maintain cotton production in low-income countries, it is necessary to find sustainable solutions in the face of unfair competition.” Cotton employs some 15 million people in West Africa, Mr. Diallo noted, and plays an important role in improving health and incomes in that region. Elimination of direct, trade-distorting cotton supports by developed countries “is a work as yet in progress,” he said, “and progress to date does not satisfy. . . It is critical that a solution be found, an effective and expeditious solution.”
The current situation “is being made worse by the world food crisis,” he added, “and could be even worse given the present financial situation, which is having a negative impact on the trade in commodities, given the recession which is upon us.”
