TN/AG/SCC/W/31  
WT/CFMC/59  
 
15 November 2019  
(19-7809) Page: 1/20 
Sub-Committee on Cotton    
 
 
IMPLEMENTATION OF TH E DEVELO PMENT ASSISTANCE ASP ECTS OF THE  
COTTON -RELATED DECIS IONS IN THE 2004 JUL Y PACKAGE AND  
PARAGRAPH 12 OF THE HONG KONG MINISTERIA L DECLARATION  
ITEM 2C - COHERENCE BETWEEN TRADE AND DE VELOPMENT ASPECTS:  
UPDATE ON THE DEVELO PMENT ASPECTS OF COT TON 
Report of the 3 1st Round of the Director -General's  
Consultative Framework Mechanism on Cotton1 
6 June 2019 
1  INTRODUCT ION 
1.1  The 3 1st Round of the Director -General's Consultative Framework Mechanism on 
Cotton  (DGCFMC)  was held on 6 June 2019 , under the chairmanship of Deputy Director -General 
Ambassador Alan Wm. Wolff.  
1.2  The Chairman  welcomed  the Cotton -4 (C -4) and all participants on behalf of the 
Director -General Roberto Azevêdo. He noted that the number of participants coming from capital 
was remarkable and highlighted that most of them were new to the DGCFMC cotton development 
community.  
1.3  He expressed satisfaction with having direct responsibility for the conduct of discussions on the 
development assistant aspect of cotton, which he considered an uncontroversial and very dynamic 
area of WTO cooperation. He highlighted this to be an area of w ork with a direct and visible link to 
the achievement of development -oriented results for the people depending on cotton production, 
transformation and trade.  
1.4  He underscored the dens ity of the  agenda for the day , together with the challenge of 
accommodatin g all the requests from speakers to make project -specific presentations under Item 6  
of the agenda ( on "cotton projects") , whose purpose, he recalled,  was to better match the demand 
and supply of cotton development assistance (DA) projects , as well as to c omplement information 
on projects listed in the Evolving Table  on Cotton Development Assistance  (ET). He mentioned that , 
since the inclusion of Item 6  in the agenda back in late 2017,  upon request by the C -4, the level of 
engagement and participation in project-specific  discussions ha d increased exponentially. He  then 
outlined five presentations scheduled under Item 6 on cotton projects and other 4 presentations 
under  the "topical"  Item 8 on "project effectiveness ". Item 8 discussions on project effectivene ss 
respond ed to matters raised by Members during the last meeting  of the DGCFMC.2 
1.5  He recalled that some Members had expressed the view that more attention  should  be dedicated 
to the assessment of project impacts  for projects  notified under the  ET. Some Members had also 
suggested  to include elements on project impacts in the ET in the context of future revisions. As 
these proposals were endorsed by the DGCFMC , he announced that the Item 8 discussions of the 
day would have fed into proposals to improve the ET.  
                                                
1 This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice 
to the positions of Members or to their rights and obligations under the WTO.  
2 See document TN/AG/SCC/W/30 - WT/CFMC/58, dated  14 February 2019.  TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  1.6  He concluded by appreciating the enhanced engagement by all participants, speakers and 
partners , who were going to play an active role in the discussions. H e stressed that  this enhanced 
participation was a concrete return  on the C -4 initiative to have more pragmatic, dynamic, and 
project -focused discussions at the DGCFMC . Finally, h e announced the WTO L aunch of World Cotton 
Day on 7 October 2019 , as requested  by the C -4, in collaboration with the secretariat s of 
the United  Nations Food and Agriculture Organization  (FAO) , the International Trade Centre  (ITC), 
the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development  (UNCTAD) , and the International Cotton 
Advisory Committee  (ICAC) . He gave the floor to the  WTO secretariat to  provide  further detail s on 
those developments.   
1.7  Ms. Marième Fall of the Agriculture and Commodities Division  provided  practical information on 
the preparations for  the WTO Launch of World Cotton  Day. She noted that World Cotton Day was 
the first of its kind and was being organized at the request of the C -4, who had in parallel applied 
for the official recognition of 7 October as World Cotton Day with the General Assembly of 
the United  Nations. She  thanked the co -organizers  FAO, ITC, UNCTAD and ICAC. She indicated that 
a Partners' Conference was scheduled in the afternoon of the day , where discussions about  cotton  DA 
would be held . She informed participants that f ive thematic  side-events  would  also be organized  in 
the afternoon , addressing inter alia  trade , sustainability  and market outlook.  She announced that a  
fashion event  would be held at the end of the working sessions, organized by the ITC  with a focus 
on African fashion designers . She concluded by express ing deep  gratitude to Members and partner 
organisations who  agreed to  sponsor some of the events of the day , including  the Deutsche 
Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit  (GIZ – Germany),  who ha d already  offered to 
sponsor t he closing reception.  
1.8  The Chairman  thanked the  WTO secretariat for the intervention and stressed that those 
interested in cotton in any part of the chain, from producer s to the ultimate consumers and in 
between, should easily grasp the importance of the event and ensure their active participation. He 
invited participants to follow up with the  WTO secretariat by bringing additional ideas on how to 
make 7 October  2019 a real success.   
2  STATEMENT BY THE C-4 COORDINATOR  
2.1  The representative  of Benin , speaking on behalf of the C -4 and the other cotton -producing 
countries,  welcomed everyone present, notably the Ambassadors, Heads of Diplomatic Missions, 
WTO high -level officials and  aid for development representatives. He thanked the Chairman and the 
Agriculture and Commodities Division, as well as all the partners in development assistance, not 
only for the importance of their work and the process es under way,  but also for the various initiatives 
taken to facilitate more dynamic discussions at the DGCFMC. He expressed the C -4 satisfaction with 
the work of the DGCFMC, which brought about new momentum that had to be maintained. He 
commended the Chairman of the DGCFMC,  who acted  on behalf of Director -General Azevêdo, for his 
dynamism in advancing the work of the Consultative Mechanism . 
2.2  He reiterated that the WTO Launch of World Cotton Day on 7 October 2019 would  have 
summon ed Heads of State and high-level representatives fr om the public and private sectors with 
stakes in cotton . He underscored that  this initiative would  also have helped to understand the  value  
of cotton  by-products  and cotton value chain  development in general . He further  noted , on behalf of 
African cotton -producing countries, the vital importance of bringing forward the cotton initiative in 
the WTO  and called on development banks and agencies to help contribute to the various 
programmes and projects underway in various African countries  as well as in least -developed 
countries  (LDCs) that produced and exported cotton .  
2.3  He drew participants ' attention  to the importance  of the  joint-initiative  on cotton by -products 
advanced  by the WTO, UNCTAD and ITC secretariats after the DGCFMC endorsement of late 
November 20183. He noted that this joint -initiative had just entered into an operational phase, with 
the forthcoming approval by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) of a small grant to conduct 
feasibility assessments in eight pilot countries; as a cons equence, h e called on all donors for support  
to effectively implement this initiative , which aimed  to respond to  pressing  technical assistance  
needs of cotton -producing LDCs, particularly in Africa . He noted that the joint -initiative would  help 
to develop  parallel  value chains and markets for cotton by -products, including  e.g. edible oil, cotton 
cakes, meal, pulp, medicinal essence, biomass, artisanal objects made from the cotton husks,  
                                                
3 See doc ument TN/AG/SCC/W/30 - WT/CFMC/58, dated  14 February 2019.  TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  pellets, briquettes,  etc. He  concluded by acknowledging the existence o f a nascent partnership , keen 
on working on this initiative, all united by the awareness of the importance of cotton in their 
respective socio -economic context.  
2.4  The representative  of Togo  shared information  on the development o f cotton production and 
the initiatives that had been recently undertaken  in Togo . He thanked the  Chairman for all the  
on-going initiatives in support of cotton and  noted that in Togo, cotton account ed for nearly 40 % of 
exports and contribute d by 4.3% to GDP formation . The 2018/2019 season ha d just been completed , 
he reported ; the season had been marked by an increase in  production by 17% on the previous 
season, resulting in revenue increases for cotton producers of about 11 million USD.  
2.5  He noted the importance of these developments, but stressed that  more need ed to be done , 
and that Togo aimed at  reaching  180,000 hectares  of planted area to reach  production volumes of  
more than 150 ,000 tonnes  of seed cotton . This  forecast was in line with the overall upward trend in 
production volumes for West Africa, responding to the original  "Programme for Integrated Protection 
of Cotton in Africa (PRPICA) , covering  Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte D'Ivoire, Mali, Senegal and Togo.  
2.6  He reported that  PRPICA  countries  met in  Cotonou, Benin,  from 10 -12 April 2019 , in order to  
discuss and endorse a  price increase for  a kilo gram of seed cotton by 35 CFA  francs . Accordingly, 
the new price would have reached  285 CFA  francs per kilo gram. The cotton company of Togo noted 
that this final price w ould have been  be the best price seen throughout the subregion , yet still  too 
low compared with the quality -related  efforts that were being  made by cotton producers.  
2.7  He concluded by  thank ing the Cha irman as well as all Togo's partners , especially Brazil in the 
context of  the C-4 plus Togo project, the U nited Stated of America (US)  in the context of the 
Millennium Challenge Cooperation  Programme , the European Union (EU) in the context of the 
European Development Fund  programme,  and the other partners whose overall aim was to 
sustainably contribute to improving production  levels  and competitiveness for cotton grow ers in 
Togo. He also welcomed the ambitious long -term programmes being put forward to suppo rt the 
development of cotton and cotton by -products in Africa.  
2.8   The representative of Burkina Faso  welcomed the statement by the C -4 and commended the 
progress made  by the DGCFMC  to develop initiatives to  support  cotton production in Africa, 
particularly in  the C-4. He  announced informally that, in  January 2020, the  2nd International Cotton 
and Textile Fair would be held  in Burkina Faso  in order to enable proper in -depth discussions on 
initiatives  for local transf ormation and value addition  of cotton  in West Africa . This exhibition  would 
be organized in parallel with the  6th Ministerial  Meeting of  the C-4, which in turn would provide an  
opportunity to  exchange information on new development s in the cotton sect or in the C-4 and  other 
countries in West Africa.  
2.9  The Chairman  thanked the representative s of the C -4 and  Togo for their statement s on behalf 
of all African cotton -producing countries  and suggested  that the representative of Burkina  Faso 
provide more information on the event s being announced informally . He further thanked the  Chair 
of the General Council,  H.E. the Ambassador of Thailand,  for her interest in the work of the  DGCFMC 
and her presence at  the meeting .  
3  COTTON PRODUCTION AN D TRADE TRENDS  
3.1   The Chairman  introduced agenda Item 3 by inviting  to the podium  Mr. Kai Hughes, Executive 
Director of  ICAC. He noted that , given the thematic nature of ICAC presentations at the DGCFMC  
and pursuant to past discussions by Members , Mr. Hughes  would have focused his presentation  on 
market outlook for cottonseed oil and other by -products from cotton production/ginning .  
3.2  The Executive Director of the ICAC, Mr. Kai Hughes , noted that his presentation would  have 
focused on cotton by -products development as  an important initiative that could have various  
significant impact s on farmers in LDCs. He hoped that his presentation could  help to set the scene  
and inform  the following day's discussions4. 
                                                
4 "WTO -UNCTAD -ITC Workshop on Cotton By -Products" of 7 June 2019, see here: 
https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news19_e/cott_07jun19_e.htm .  TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  3.3  He recalled that the by -products of cotton were necessarily  linked to the amount of cotton  
produced . In that connection, when looking at Africa where cotton by -products c ould have the 
biggest impact , he reiterated that the average  yield of Sub-Saharan Africa was  around 350  kilograms  
of lint/ hectare. He indicated that the global average  yield was around 788  kilograms per hectare , 
and that yields in other  countries with  rain-fed cotton cultivation  had reached 1 ,800 kilograms per 
hectare. He  emphasized that increas ing yields all over Sub-Saharan Africa would lead to  additional 
2 million tonnes  of cotton l int being produced in one season, with  1 million tonnes of this alone 
coming from the top five producing countries in Africa (all located in West Africa) .  
3.4  He explained that cotton by -products come from two parts of the plant : the seed and the stalk. 
Global cottonseed production ha d ranged between 36 and 48  million tonnes in th e last decade. 
World  cottonseed production plunged from 48  million tonnes in 2009/2010 to 36  million tonnes  
in 2015/ 2016, which  represent ed a decline by 12 million tonnes or 25%. He  reported  that, since 
then, cottonseed production ha d increased and was expected to reach 45.8  million tonnes 
in 2018/2019.  
3.5  He noted that cotton was grown primarily to produce lint , yet cottonseed constitute d about 63 % 
of seed cotton volume. About 79 % of the globally produced cotto nseed is crashed and the rest is 
used directly as either animal feed or for planting. The value of cotton seed was increasing by 5 % to 
8% after ginning and by 8 % to 10 % after seed s were processed for oil extraction. He underlined 
that ginners would only make a profit if seeds  were sold. Similarly, seed crashe rs made a profit only 
if seed cake, hulls and linters were sold. A breakdown  per unit  showed that  lint and cotton seed oil  
were the major value -added products  from the ginning process .  
3.6  Cottonseed oil, he continued, was reported ly an excellent choice for fried snack foods where 
texture, mouth fill, good aftertaste and storage stability were prime considerations.  He underscored 
that cot tonseed oil was healthy and provide d a good alternative to other edible oils. It was also high 
in vitamin  E, being the 3rd highest among edible oils without cholesterol , like all other vegetable oils . 
He noted that  about 5.2  million tonnes of cottonseed oil were produced worldwide each year , 
account ing for  2.5% of total production of edible oils. The price of cottonseed oil was competitive 
with other major edible oils.  
3.7  Production of cottonseed oil was led by China and India, accounting for almost 50 % of global 
production. He reported that Mali rank ed 11th in world production, Benin 14th, Burkina Faso 15th, and 
Chad 26th. He underscored  that all cottonseed oil produced in Africa was consumed locally , except 
for South Afr ica. He shared the  examples of Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso and Cameroon, reported as  
the largest producers of cottonseed oil in Africa, accounting for more than half of the 
continents'  production ; however,  only 75 % of cotton seed was crushed for oil and seed meal, which 
mean t that 25 % of cottonseed produced in Africa was unused.  He added that part of  cottonseed 
production was  fed to cattle, part was planted , and the  rest probably  wasted. He  reported that Mali 
and Nigeria crash ed nearly all their seeds for oil and cake , while countries like Ethiopia, Sudan and 
Côte D'Ivoire only crash ed around 55 % of seeds .  
3.8  He estimated  the value of those unused seeds in Africa to be 237 million  USD, with the highest 
margins in West Africa. He noted  that, over the p revious  three  years, African countries ha d imported 
2.2 million to nnes of edible oil each year. As such, by increasing their seed cotton yield to the world 
average, African countries w ould h ave been  able to produce more lint and thus more cottonseed , 
which then c ould be transformed into oil , reducing  edible oil import s by 18 % and saving  around 
400 million  USD.  
3.9  He further discussed how  other  cottonseed by -products  also had growing markets and  were 
potentially an important complementary source of revenue for the cotton sector in Africa.  He 
stressed that cotton stalks were a major by -product from which value -added products c ould be 
generated. Stalks  could  contribute to additional income for farm ers and generate new employment  
opportunities . When considering a ton ne of stalks , he explained,  a farmer w ould receive around 
40 USD, but the major profit margins c ame from producing particle board s at 22 USD per tonne and 
pellets at 14  USD per tonne. These small -scale industries need ed stable  volume s of production  in 
order to be profitable and to repay their set -up costs.  TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  3.10  He focused on cottonseed cake/meal, an oil processing by -product sold as livestock feed. He 
explained that it contain ed 45% of protein on a dry matter basis and it  was an excellent source of 
supplement ary phosphorus.  It was also reported as highly competitive, as for instance  soybean meal 
had about 17 % more protein s but was also  25% to 35% more expensive than cottonseed meal. He 
commented that  India and China were the biggest cotton producers in the world and the largest 
producers of cottonseed meal. Looking at exports, he concluded th at the  amount s exported were in 
general  very low , with the US as a major exporter and Mexico as a  major importer . He concluded by 
highlighting that r emoving gossypol from seed  meal could  result in a dditional  net profit of 
33 USD per ton ne of cotton seed, whereby Africa c ould generate additional  value of at least  
78 million  USD at current levels of production.  
3.11  The Chairman  thanked the ICAC representative for the extraordinar ily clear and very useful 
presentation. He invited Members and participants to take the floor, to raise questions or comment s 
on the presentation. The Chairman  also noted that  the presentation  by ICAC  would  have helped to  
frame the discussion for the following day , fully dedicated to by -products5. He stressed that the re 
were clear  gains to be made  by investments in by -product development in Africa .  
3.12  The representative of Mali, referring to the presentation on cotton by -products,  asked more 
information on  recent developments  in terms of marketing potentials. The representative of Chad  
echoed what was said by  Mali on the  outlook for the  world market  for by -products . He thanked the  
Executive Director of ICAC for the presentation on  adding  value to by -products. He highlighted that , 
after lint, the f irst area of added -value  from cotton  was cotton seed oil, with all the  remarkable 
nutritional  characteristics  illustrated by  Mr. Hughes . He stressed the importance of this 
consideration, p articularly when lint prices were low and marketing  cottonseed  oil and cake could 
increase resilience to price fluctuations . Chad,  he explained, had  stopped exporting by-products  due 
to the high internal demand from  the animal husbandry sector , to which cottonseeds were destined 
even without processing . The representative of Jamaica  thanked Mr Hughes  on behalf of the  Group 
of African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries ( ACP Group ) for the very comprehensive  and detailed  
presentation.  
3.13  The representative of ICAC  explained that the international market for some by -products, 
notably linters , showed  a downturn mostly due to  technological advancements in the production of 
certain products , such as banknotes , for which  different materials were being introduced . On the 
point relating to the direct use of seeds as feed in animal husbandry, he noted that, if processed and 
made into seed cake , seeds could generate additional value; processing would also allow to use hulls  
and reduce the cost of seed cake , also impr oving nutritional properties . 
3.14  The Chairman  thanked the delegat ions who took the floor under this item and expressed his 
gratitude to Mr.  Hughes  of ICAC  for his  periodical  presentation s on topics of crucial importance  for 
the development of the cotton secto r, highly relevant to  DGCFMC discussions . He recorded 
participants' agreement on the publication of relevant discussions and closed Item 3.  
4  DIRECTOR -GENERAL'S EVOLVING TABLE ON CO TTON  DEVELOPMENT ASSISTA NCE 
4.1  The Chairman introduced Item 4 of the agenda by recalling the latest version of the Evolving 
Table on Cotton Development Assistance ("ET") was contained in the document WT/CFNC/6/Rev.26 
and was circulated to Members on 24  May 2019. He asked Mr.  Fabrizio Meliado of the Agriculture 
and Commodities Division, to highlight the main points of this updated version . 
4.2  Mr. Fabrizio Meliado  of the Agriculture and Commodities Division  presented  the revised version 
of the ET. He first recalled  the structure of the document, then explained that notifications under 
Part 1 if the ET  (reporting information on " active cotton -specific projects ") had been received from  
Australia, Brazil, Canada, EU, Germany, Japan, Netherlands and US, as well as from ITC, UNCTAD 
and the United Nations industrial Development Organization  (UNIDO ). From the last revision  of 
the ET, three  new projects ha d been notified and four projects  had been marked as  completed and 
moved to Annex 1 of the ET . He further noted that the value of commitments in active projects 
totalled 185 million USD in Part 1 of the ET, of which 45  million  USD were specifically targeted at 
the C -4 as a group . The total value of disbursement in this latest revision  of the ET  
                                                
5 "WTO -UNCTAD -ITC Workshop on Cotton By -Products" of 7 June 2019, see here: 
https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news19_e/cott_07jun19_e.htm .  TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  was 98.6 million  USD and the total disbursement s/commitments ratio was  52.6%. Almost all the 
projects were marked as " in progress ". 
4.3  The representative of Chad , on behalf of the C -4, thanked  the Chairman, the Director -General 
as well as the Agriculture and Commodities Division  for the meticulous  follow -up activities  being 
undertaken in relation to the development dimension of the cotton sector.  He commended the work 
of the  DGCFMC  and thank ed the WTO secretariat for the documentation prepared , including  the 
27th version of the ET  contained in document  WT/CFMC/6/Rev.26. The C -4 took note of the 
presentation of the summary of this ET  revision and thank ed all development partners for the 
multidimensional support provided to the cotton sector in Af rican countries and LDCs. 
The C-4 wishe d to note the fluctuating ratio of the disbursement versus total commitments for cotton 
specific development assistance , which dropped from 55.8 % to 47.3 % in the 25th version , and stood 
at 52.62 % in the  latest  ET, under  Part 1. Overall , the C -4 note d that there was a drop in the level 
of disbursement s; consequently, they  urged partners to make progress on disbursements, so that 
the activities that ha d been planned c ould be implemented within the planned time-frame s.  
4.4  The C -4 further underscore d that achieving enhanced  market access for Agricultural products  
including  cotton required  logistics and equipment as well as the transfer of know -how and sharing 
of best practices. Hence t he C-4's call for  partners to support efforts and initiatives in the areas of 
cotton production and processing as well as in infrastructure  development , especially in the cotton 
sector. The group thank ed the development partners who were acting in favour of South -South as 
well as North -South cooperation. They also welcome d initiatives for  bilateral, regional and 
multilateral cooperation. They welcome d activities for building producti ve capacity as well as capacity 
for processing and expor t of cotton and cotton by -products in African countries and LDCs. Finally, 
the C-4 encourage d all development partners  to support the implement ation of the  regional 
programme  "Cotton Roadmap"6, aimed at  creating jobs, combat ing poverty and improv ing food 
security and economic and social development in a sustainable and inclusive manner.  In that 
connection, the C -4 underlined the urgency of implementing projects and programmes that c ould 
help to promote production, processing and marketing of cotton and its by-products . 
4.5  The Chairman  thanked the  C-4 as well as all the partners who provided input  to the revision of 
the ET. He particularly thanked the delegation of Chad for the specific comments that were made 
and brought to  his attention , adding that there was a clear margin for improving support for 
infrastructure and the implementation/dissemination of best practices, both crucial aspects to create 
trade capacity . He noted the crucial importance of supporting the implementation of the Cotton 
Roadmap projec t and hope d that this recommendation wo uld be transmitted  from the participants 
at the meeting to their respective  capitals for further action . He paid tribute to the donor community 
for the engagement and commitment in providing updated reports to the  ET, underl ining the 
importance of keeping a high level of transparency in reporting about aid for trade in the cotton 
sector . He noted that there were  ways in which involvement and contributions to the cotton sector  
could be enhanced , but the  indicators shoul d not be limited to the numbers reported in the ET ; they 
should rather embrace considerations linked to qualitative assessments and discussions on 
effectiveness,  with a focus on the  ability to ultimately empower local actors to independently develop 
their cotton value chains. He  concluded by  strongly encourag ing beneficiaries to share contact details 
of their national cotton focal points as reported in Part  3 of the ET. He proposed to take not e of all 
the statements made  and reflect them in the report of the meeting . 
5  SOUTH -SOUTH COTTON C OOPERATION  
5.1   The Chairman  introduced Item 5 by acknowledg ing the important contributions of Brazil, China, 
India and Pakistan on the platform of South -South cooperation.  
5.2  The representative of Mali  thanked the Chairman  on behalf of the C -4 for the importance 
accorded  to this agenda item on South -South cooperation. He extended the C -4 gratitude to the 
South -South partners, including Brazil, China, India, Pakistan, Turkey and others , noting  their 
commitment to the cotton sector particular ly in LDCs. She added that consultations were underway 
in order to identify areas for action , with a view to further  enlarging th e group of  South -South  
partners. These partners ha d committed to provid e technical and financial support as we ll as 
                                                
6 See document WT/CFMC/W/73 , dated  23 February 2018.  TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  expertise in cotton production and productivity , towards the develop ment and modernization of 
cotton to textile  value chains as well as for cotton by -products.  
5.3  She announced  that the C-4 would take part in the 2nd edition of the Shanghai  International 
Import  Expo, scheduled to take place in November 2019. In addition to providing logistical support 
to countries of the C -4, she underscored, the  Chinese  authorities also ensured that  the C -4 would  
have their booth at the exhibition, to raise  the profile of African Cotton in the Chinese market. The 
Chinese authorities ha d thus confirmed  their willingness to support the C -4 countries in their efforts 
and initiatives to develop value chains in the cotton and textile sector.  She further  thank ed the 
Chinese government for th e generous assistance  provided to the C -4 as an example of  partnership 
and solidarity.  
5.4  She thanked Pakistan for the exchange of experiences and technical knowledge  in the cotton 
and textile production sector , which started with a C -4 mission to Pakistan 
from 23 April – 6 May 2018. The recommendations that emerged from that mission , she reiterated,  
would be implemented in full. On behalf of the C -4, she further wished to call for greater cooperation 
and invited South -South  partners as  well as  other Members already active in this area to implement 
actions and initiatives in order to ensure financing of national and regional projects that were already 
in existence , or future projects , including the Cotton Roadmap project7, in line with the 
recommendations made in Nairobi  back in 2015 .  
5.5  The representative of Chad  expressed gratitude to all the partners who ha d supported the cotton 
sector in the C-4 countries. Countri es like Brazil,  China and  India,  he noted,  had provided significant 
support to  the C -4 cotton sector. He highlighted  that India had been particularly  supportive of their 
capacity -building  efforts  for processing cotton into fibre and textile products. He announced that, 
thanks to this line of cooperation, Chad would shortly open a new  textile factory  capable of  
process ing a great quantity  of Chad's cotton into textile and other products , aiming at  selling these  
products in other countries , including  e.g. Sudan.  
5.6  He underscored the existing efforts towards enhanced cooperation between African countries, 
notably b etween cotton entities  within individual countries, thanks to  a platform that ha d been se t 
up to cooperate  work on cotton  variet ies, research, ginning technologies and marketing and 
processing of lint. In th at connection, he provided the example of the African Cotton 
Association  (ACA), a confederation of cotton entities .  
5.7  He further  mentioned Brazil as a country supporting research project s on varieties , to improve  
the agronomic conditions in cotton growing , noting the value of  these activities at the South -South 
level.  He reported about the availability of financial support  mechanis ms through various 
sub-regional organisations in West Africa, and highlighted that intr a-African cooperation was 
important  and positive, proving the goodwill of African countries to promote and enhance their cotton 
sector.  
5.8  The representative of Burkina Faso thank ed the various development partners for the initiative s 
in South -South cooperation and called on development partners to continue  supporting the  C-4 in 
their efforts to  build resilience against  climate change, as  the cotton  sector was particularly affected 
by the effects of climate change on agricultural production.   
5.9  The representative of Mali  took the floor to echo the other  statement s and thank all the 
development partners  on the South -South p latform , especially Brazil. She informed the audience 
that Mali  was implementing a project with Brazil,  with the support of the Brazilian Cooperation  
Agency  (ABC) , academic institutions  and the Compagnie Malienne pour le Développement du 
Textile  (CMDT) in order to en hance  productivity.  The value of committed resource s for this project 
was reported at 2  million USD for a 3 -year time-frame, to be  co-financed by the  ABC, the CMDT and 
other  entities  at different percentages.  The project was expected to be l aunched at the end of 
July 2019. She also reported  the completion of a nother  project with Brazil,  by which  a new cotton 
variety  had been introduced in Mali, leading to a net boost in productivity . 
                                                
7 See document WT/CFMC/W/73 , dated  23 February 2018.  TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  5.10  The representative of Brazil  underscored Brazil's commitment to provide technical assistance 
to cotton produced in the developing world. He took the opportunity to share some updates on the 
activities  overseen by Brazil pursuant to the relevant projects listed in the ET . Accordingly,  Brazil 
had updated the disbursement s for bilateral projects with  a total of 16  African countries. Under this 
project,  technical missions were held in Cameroo n, Senegal and Zimbabwe, while further missions 
of this nature had been planned for Sudan and Côte d'Ivoire.  
5.11  He further illustrated the state of advancement of various other projects, including a  project 
for the promotion of decent work ing conditions in  cotton production in Africa ( Mali, Mozambique  and 
Tanzania) as well as South America (Paraguay and Peru), in cooperation with the I nternational 
Labour Organization  (ILO) . He focused on a new project , in partnership with the World Food 
Programme  (WFP) , for developing marke t outlets for cotton by -products and companion crops in 
Africa (Benin, Mozambique, Kenya and Tanzania). The pro ject had a value of 7,345,862  million  USD, 
of which 489,341  USD had alre ady been disbursed . Further t echnical missions had been  scheduled 
in Benin and in Mozambique .  
5.12  The ABC was  advancing  with the implementation of two new projects of interest 
to C-4 Members , namely the project "Maintaining production potential of soil in Mali's cotton growing 
areas " and "The project to refurbish AIC ( Association Inter -Professionnelle du Coton ) lint 
classification unit in Benin" . The representative of Brazil reported  that, in May 2019, the final project  
document  had been  sent by the  ABC to the CMDT  for their consideration and signature. The  same 
process was reported as on -going with regard to the project in Benin.  Activities  scheduled  under  
these projects  were aimed at  enhanc ing cotton productivity and overall cotton production in the 
partne r countries. They  focused on  contributing to the strengthening of individual skills of 
technicians , researchers and cotton producers involved , as well as on institutional capacity -building.  
5.13  The representative of India  showed appreciation to the ICAC and the WTO secretariat for the 
presentations. She thanked the delegation s of the C -4 for the statements on South -South cotton 
cooperation. She  underlined that  India was a strong supporter of South -South cotton cooperation 
and ha d been actively contributing towards this end. Between 2011 and 2018, India implemented a 
technical assistance prog ramme worth  about 2.85  million  USD for seven  African countries , including 
the C-4. Technical assistance provided by India focused on improving the competitiveness of the 
cotton sector and cotton -based textile and apparel industry. Activities included a) training on various 
aspects related to cotton production and post -harvest management a nd b) creation of infrastructure. 
Training and capacity building activities were organized for several hundred s of stakeholders from 
various institutions. In addition, sector specific infrastructure facilities ha d been created or were 
under implementation in selected countries. These include d skilled centres for training on apparel 
manufacturing in Nigeria and Malawi, a bio -pesticide laboratory in Uganda and modern ginning unit s 
in Benin.  She closed her intervention by reiterating India's commitment to  South-South cotton 
cooperation  in cotton .  
5.14  The representative of China  expressed his appreciation on the various efforts made by the 
Chairman, the C -4 and the WTO secretariat for data gathering and background documents 
compilation including the ET , which provi ded a sound basis for in -depth discussion s on cotton. He 
mentioned that China's cotton  DA programs in Africa proved that South -South cooperation was a 
key area of DA. He recalled  the 2018  Sino-African Development Cooperation Forum, where 
President  Xi Jinping announced that China and Africa together w ould launch  the China -Africa 
Agricultural Modernization Plan and development initiative.  Under th is initiative, China ha d 
diversified its cooperation with African partners, including  through the  development of Agricultural 
technology demonstration centres, demonstration farms , experimental stations, farm irrigation 
projects, Agr i-products processing, and machines and equipment for agricultural d evelopment ; he 
reported that these initiatives had  enhanced local agricultural production capacity , and improve d 
quality of life and livelihood s for subsistence farmers in the African  cotton  areas, as indicated by  the 
representatives of Mali and Benin.  TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  5.15  He further  reported that China ha d provided quality cotton seeds, farm machinery, fertilizers 
and pesticides to develop local cotton industr ies in Africa . He recalled that from  2017-2019 China  
organized nine training workshops on cotton cultivation, processing and trade, with over 
170 participants from Africa. Th ese included  more than 50  participants from C -4 countries. On 
18 March 2019, China had organized  another special cotton development workshop for Burk ina Faso.  
5.16  He moved on to a discussion on C hina's investments in cotton business es in Africa, highlighting 
that China attache d great importance to Africa's  development , thus  strongly encourag ing eligible 
Chinese agribusiness firms to make investment s in Afr ica. He noted that  Chinese agribusiness firms 
had invested heavily in cotton industr ies in Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi, and that the B elt and 
Road initiative  would have  increas ed the  number of Chinese firms willing to invest in cotton 
business es in Madagascar, Mali, Guinea and Togo. In Tanzania, he said, the  Jiangsu Overseas 
Business Development Group had invested , as of 2019 , a total of  66.25  million  USD for developing 
an Agricultura l Business Park for cotton production, processing, cotton mills and garment,  supporting 
the development of a c otton -centred industr ial value chain s, and establish ing cottonseed oil 
processing, packaging material development, technical training, and machine ry maintenance as well 
as flow of goods and services . 
5.17  He shared another example of Chinese investments in cotton, notably the firm  Zhonghai 
Business, which became operational in 2014 in Tanzania with 200  local employees and annual 
production capacities of 10 million  tonnes of textile products, generating revenue of over 
15 million  USD annually and promoting local economic development.  Other similar stories related to  
investment s in the cotton industry in Zambia by Qingdao Ruichang Cotton Corporation Ltd ., which 
had invested over 37.2 million  USD on an area of 1  million square meters , to create an industrial 
park for cotton improvement and multiplication,  cotton  products and by -products processing,  
achieving to  attract five  additional  agribusiness firms into the industrial park. The Qingdao Ruichang 
Cotton Corporation L td., in cooperation with the Sino-African Development Fund , established  a 
Sino-African Cotton Industrial Corporati on Ltd . with investment s of over 80 million  USD. The 
business portfolio cover ed cotton breeding, cultivation, processing, edible oil  processing  and cotton 
spinning mills.  This corporation established seven  cotton spinning mills, three  seed multiplication 
bases and two cottonseed oil processing plants in Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe etc ., 
benefiting more than 200,000  farmers in these countries. In Malawi in 2018, the Sino -African Cotton 
Corporation Ltd. , in cooperation with Tian jin Investment Corporation, built a co -spinning cotton 
growing region with investment s of over 40  million  USD.  
5.18  In closing his intervention, he reported that  the C -4 were one of the  main origins  of import s 
for the Chinese cotton industry  between  2007-2017. He noted  that the key barriers were quality 
requirement s of spinning mills and subsidies of developed Members, limiting the opportunities for 
the C-4 to export their cotton products. Looking into the future,  he said, China and Africa ha d a 
great potential for further  cotton cooperation , as indicated in the last  High-level Sino -African 
Development and Cooperation Forum Statement. He added that China w ould strongly support 
all-round cooperation with Africa on cotton , from programming, production and processing and 
marketing to enhanc ing the value chain and global market share s of African countries.  He mentioned 
that key future collaborative initiatives and recommendations include d consolidating cotton research 
cooperation to improve the quality of cotton, encouraging investment s in Africa,  and improving 
processing capacity and value chain as well as competitiveness.  
5.19  The representative of Benin  reiterated the gratitude  expressed by the individual 
representative s of the C -4 countries , towards all the partners who ha d tremendously supported the  
development of the cotton industry. He recalled some initiatives of interest in Benin: f irstly, a 
program for machinery mechanization and relevant training s for tractor drivers from the cotton 
growing areas , promoted by China . Moreover, he mentioned a programme of  cooperat ion with Brazil 
to address soil issues, and another one with India on ginning techniques .  
5.20  The representative of Côte d'Ivoire  commended the excellent chairmanship by the 
Deputy  Director -General and thanked the secretariat of the WTO for all the information made 
available. He then thanked the development partners and expressed deep gratitude to Brazil, who 
followed on a te chnical assistance need raised by Côte d'Ivoire at  the previous DGCFMC .  TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  5.21  The representative of Zimbabwe  expressed gratitude  to Brazil, China and UNCTAD for their 
support to the cotton sector of Zimbabwe. She indicated  that Brazil had been helping to improv e 
productive capacity and productivity in order to enhance competitiveness. She mentioned 
UNCTAD 's on-going  project on cotton by -product s in Zimbabwe,  which also was leading to increased  
productive capacity and  better  quality of seeds and cotton seed oil.   
5.22  The Chairman  thanked all the delegations who took the floor to share information and details 
on their cooperation programme s. The se updates , he stressed,  would enhance implementation and 
reinforce South -South cooperat ion on cotton.  He also encouraged developing countries to continue 
to strengthen South -South cooperation on cotton and recalled that the contributions made by  
participants were re corded  and given official recognition, particularly  through the  Evolving Tabl e as 
well as the  Periodic Report s on Cotton Development Assistance prepared  each year  under the 
responsibility of the Director General.   
6  COTTON DEVELOPMENT A SSISTANCE PROJECTS  
6.1  The Chairman  introduced agenda Item 6 by noting that the secretariat had received a 
remarkable number of requests  from candidate speakers  under Item 6. He  briefly  recall ed that th e 
Item was added to the DGCFMC agenda  pursuant to  a request by the C -4 at the end of 2017 , and 
endorse d by Members , to give a more pragmatic  imprint to the WTO's work on cotton development 
assistance.  He also highlighted that the inclusion of this Item was a mean s to give effect to the Bali8 
and Nairobi9 Ministerial  Decisions on cotton , in the relevant parts de voted to cotton  development 
assistance .  
6.2  He described Item 6 as being a new element of qualitative project analysis that fully 
complement ed and bui lt upon the quantitative exercise of project reporting and information sharing 
done through the regular updates of the ET.  He added  that Item 6 was  a mechanism to make the  ET 
clearer , thus fostering increased transparency and enhanced cooperation between dev elopment 
cooperation partners.  
6.3  He expressed his utmost gratitude to all the speakers under Item 6. He announced that there  
were both public and private sector representatives  among them,  many of whom ha d travelled to 
take part in  the meeting,  which the Ch airman considered a proof of the  value attribute d to the work 
of the DGCFMC as a unique opportunity for  global  project matching and enhanced dialogue between  
public and private  partners.  
6.4  He introduced the five presentations scheduled under Item 6, namely : by the C -4, by the 
African  Cotton Foundation  (ACF)  in coordination with GIZ and the Delegation of Germany, by 
the ABC, by the ITC , and by the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). The Chairman explained  that he 
would have  introduce d each speaker and the relevant presentations in due course.  He reminded 
participants about the 1 0-minute rule for their presentations  and promised that he  would open the 
floor after each presentation for a round of questions and answers. He  finally  noted  that all 
presentations would be made available online through the dedicated webpages of the WTO  Cotton 
Days, as well as through the official press release of the meeting 
(https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/agric_e/cottonday2018_e.htm  ).  
6.5  The representative of Benin  presented  the Cotton Roadmap Project10 on behalf of the C -4. This 
project, he explained, was aimed at  ensur ing greater  local value  addition for  cotton  and its 
by-products, as well as at  diversify ing marketing  opportunities at the  local, sub-regional, regional  
and international  levels . He pointed out  that the key objective of the project was fighting poverty 
and migration from rural to urban  areas . He added th at the project proposal foresaw a  four-year 
implementation period at a cost of  approximately  20 million  euros.  
                                                
8 WT/MIN(13)/41, 11 December 2013.  
9 WT/MIN( 15)/46, 21 December 2015.  
10 See document WT/CFMC/W/73 of 23 February 2018 . TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  6.6  He announced that the individual  C-4 countries had  started to draft more specific  project  
proposals based on the various components of the overall Cotton Roadmap Project proposal11. 
Accordingly , there were  at that stage three projects involved : 1) a project to improve soil  
productivity in  the C -4 countries ; 2) a  project  to support the introduction of new cotton varieties ; 
and 3) a  project  on the improvement of soil health and nutrients in cotton areas in Benin. The se 
three projects , he clarified, w ere at the experimental level  and had to be further developed into 
fully-fledged regional programmes.  
6.7  Further to that, h e underscored that the new joint -initiative  by the WTO, UNCTAD and ITC on 
cotton by -products  would  have enable d beneficiaries to  draw additional value from their cotton 
production, as illustrated inter alia  by the presentation given by the  Executive Director of ICAC  under 
Item 3. As such, the joint-initiative on cotton by -products would contribute  to the implementation 
of one important component of the Cotton Roadmap Project , namely  the one specifically targeting 
value addition for the by -products of cotton production and ginning processes12. Under the same 
token, h e called on the Enhanced integrated Framework  (EIF), as well as other development 
partners , to support  the implementation of  relevant activities.  
6.8  The Chairman  thanked the representative of Benin and  called on  Ms Belinda Edmonds, Interim 
Managing Director of the African Cotton Foundation  (ACF), and Mr Wolfgang Bertenbreiter of 
GIZ-Germany,  to present the ACF and  the rational e for its creation,  which originated i n an initiative  
of GIZ-Germany .  
6.9  Mr Wolfgang Bertenbreiter of GIZ -Germany  provided  a short  introduction on the ACF, which 
was linked to the closure of the Competitive African Cotton Initiative (COMPACI)  programme. He 
recalled that COMPACI has resulted in  improved livelihoods for 850,000  farmers in  12 African 
countries,  thanks to the yearly production of  over 400,000  tonnes of certified cotton  (reportedly 
representing 30% of all lint cotton produced in Sub-Saharan Africa) . He further noted that activities 
had extended to the improvement of last-mile delivery infrastructure of cotton companies  and 
training on yield enhancement , environmentally -sustainable practices, and business skills , all aimed 
at improving  the revenues an d food security of farming household s. He stressed that these actions 
had had tangible direct effects on food production and food security , too. He further explained that, 
as the Competitive African Cotton Initiative  (COMPACI ) programme  came to its  conclusion  in 201713, 
relevant  cotton companies  in Africa had  realized that it was important to  create a stable  
industry -oriented  platform for pre -competitive collaboration , to share best practices and tackle 
constraints related to smallholder s' productivi ty and livelihoods improvement. A new structure was 
needed , to be  governed and funded by cotton companies with input from civil society, certifiers 
and NGO's ; its purpose would have been  to provide leadership, develop strategy, and serve as a 
consultative body for governments and development agencies to carry out development programs 
in a coordinated, sustainable, and scalable manner. He underscored  that establishing the  ACF would 
have institutionalize d the success of COMPACI , and gave the floor to Ms. Edmo nds to provide further 
details on the ACF .  
6.10  Ms Belinda Edmonds  of the ACF  took over by expressing gratitude to the WTO secretariat  for 
coordinating this intervention . She maintained  that the A CF was  inspired by the successes of 
COMPACI and mentioned  that it came  into existence with  the primary focus of improv ing the lives 
of cotton farmers by creating sh ared value along the value chain. She illustrated  the ACF vision  
centred on  a sustainable, modern,  and thriving African cotton sector  whereby farming would be 
profitable, cotton -growing communities empowered, human rights respected, and the environment 
conserved  and restored . This vision dr ove all the  ACF activities , and was to be achieved through  
transformative systems , multi-stakeholder partnership s and investment s, R&D, policy dialogue,  and 
joint learning /knowledge sharing.  As such, the ACF was to be conceived as a strategic coordinat or 
between the private  sector , public  entities,  and civil society  representatives . ACF's guiding principle 
was that sustainable development should be private sector -driven , government -enabled, 
NGO-monitored, and development agency -cataly sed.  
6.11  She highlighted that the ACF had access to a vast last -mile delivery infrastructure , serving 
large numbers of rural smallholders ( about  650,000 smallholder farmers ). However,  she explained , 
the private sector was often hesitant to take  the risks connected to new investments , hence the 
need to look at "blended finance " to promote investments in value chain development . In that 
connection, pre-competitive cost -sharing and co-funding of R&D could be supportive actions, 
together with strengthen ed input supply and market access and a stronger  role for supportive 
policies by regulators . TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  6.12  She expressed interest in working with development agencies to share risks, to foster 
innovative and sustainable /scalable solutions. The ACF  governance structure  was driven primarily 
by the private sector , but not exclusively.  For example, ACF Board Members ha d the choice of 
co-founding donor projects , match ing donors' projects for  approximately 1 to 1 USD. In concluding 
her intervention, s he stressed that ACF was ava ilable to consider sharing  risks in order to catalyse 
greater innovation through blended finance , allowing more focused and commercially -relevant 
research and development for wider impact s. 
6.13   The Chairman  thanked  the representatives of ACF and GIZ -Germany, adding that innovation  
could clearly be seen in an  approach  that combined actions from the private sector , government 
agencies  and non-governmental organisations.  
6.14  The representative of Benin  thanked the speaker s and reported  that GIZ-Germany  had been 
particularly engaged in creating  a technolog ical hub  available for all development partners in Benin. 
He recalled  the numerous  training sessions held by GIZ -Germany  with farmers , trainers and 
extension agents in the Beninese  cotton basin. He maintained th at these initiatives had had 
trickledown effect s in the country . He further  explained  that the soils in Benin were acidifying  rapidly  
and GIZ -led projects had supported solutions to address th is specific issue.  
6.15  The Chairman  introduced the third presentation on the agenda, by the Brazilian Cooperation 
Agency  (ABC), addressing the situation of the Brazilian programs for strengthening the cotton sector 
in Africa and Latin America through bilateral and trilateral coop eration. He  called to the podium 
Mr. Nelci Peres Caixeta  of ABC , and highlighted that Brazil share d updated information relating its 
active projects in Part  I of the  ET. As such,  he continued, the sharing of information on the  ET 
coupled with in -session presentations  enhance d transparency and improve d project matching.  In 
that same vein,  he recalled,  it was highly desirable that changes in Part I of the E T be accompanied 
by detail ed presentations and relevant discussions  at the DGCFMC .  
6.16  The representative of ABC thanked the Chairman and the colleagues in the room, and started 
his presentation by sharing  information on  the state of play of technical cooperation projects  at the 
South -South  level, with a focus on A frica. He  clarified that ABC was a  Brazilian governmental entity 
handling the coordination and financing of  DA initiatives. To do so, ABC work ed together with 
Brazilian institutions of outstanding technical expertise  to enhance individual and institutional skills 
of foreign partner institutions and to help them find solutions to address development challenges.   
6.17  He first shared information on a joint ABC -United Na tions Development Programme  (UNDP) 
project, which  started in 2012 and  would have continued until 2022 . This project addressed various  
underlying challenge s faced by the African cotton sector , including  the use of  outdated  technologies, 
lack of farming mechanization, challenges due to  poor quality -control  infrastructure , low productivity 
per hectare, rural extension services which are not responsive  tor produc ers' needs  and soil 
management issues  linked to the  use of fertil izers and technical challenges in combating pest.  
6.18  He further enumerated various projects implemented in Africa,  including a C -4 plus 
Togo project . While this project would be completed in 2020, he noted, other projects worth an  
investment by ABC of 1.8 million  USD were on -going or in the pipeline and focused on specialized 
training sessions for  Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte D'Ivoire, Mali and Togo. Moreover, 
other training -focused projects would have involved Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzan ia and  
Zimbabwe at a later stage . He announced  that ABC ha d invested over 9.5  million  USD in forthcoming 
projects , after the relevant technical mission s had been positively concluded and relevant needs 
assessed in terms of  sowing and conservation of soil a nd water,  thus collecting data on the ground 
and combating pests and disease.  Trainings would have involved some  450 technical experts, five 
open day event s, the acquisition of agricultural machine ry and equipment, and  additional  
15 technical missions.  
6.19  He reported about additional initiatives in the pipeline for Benin and Mali. For Benin, there had 
been a budgetary allocation of  1.5 million  USD for a 2 -year project  on cotton lint classification and 
grading. For Mali, a new project would be officially launched in July 2019, based on the assessment 
of soil condition s made by drones and relevant aerial photos (which he showed on the screen). He 
closed by mentioning tha t further projects were being designed  for Senegal and Zimbabwe.  TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  6.20  The representative of Chad  thank ed the delegation of ABC-Brazil for their excellent 
presentation on cooperation with the C -4 countries. He recalled that a large p ortion  of Brazil's  
support  for the C -4 came from DS267 (the "upland cotton" case) . He stressed that the outcome of 
this case was an example of how the crisis being faced by the WTO's Appellate Body was undermining 
the equity and the functioning of the WTO  as a whole . Thus, it was extremely useful and necessary 
that a solution be found to the deadlock faced by the Appellate Body by the end of 2019 . 
6.21  The repres entative of  Cotontchad , Mr Ibrahim Malloum, who came from capital to attend 
the DGCFMC,  added  that Brazil effectively support ed the cotton industry throughout Africa,  and 
expressed his deep appreciation  for the work of the DGCFMC . He noted  that Brazil was a  key 
reference for their cotton sector in respect of  variety research, agronomy, improvement of yields, 
quality of lint and classification /grading issues , as well as  for the  fight against pests. He called on  
Brazil to further enhance its support, as  other African countries  were open to it, to make the  African  
cotton industry  more sustainable, beneficial, prod uctive and able to keep pace with the world market. 
Referring to what was being  done in Mali in the area of soil quality  through drone -based  soil 
topographic maps  to target interventions, he noted  the great  extent to which this work was efficient , 
because  not every cotton area within a single country  had the same soil problems . Moving on to 
issues related to the ginning process, he suggested that attention be given  to textile  development, 
ensur ing that energy is maximised  towards attracting investme nts and better organiz ing the market 
against unfair practices , including  price undercutting due to cheap imports . 
6.22  The representative of Côte D'Ivoire  thanked ABC-Brazil for the presentation and supported the 
comments made by the representative s of Chad. He noted that lint classification projects were 
particularly important, because farmers  risked making losses due to inaccurate or poor classification 
practices . On the second project,  scheduled to begin in Mali as of July  2019,  he added that it was 
vital to learn how to manage soil s as a way to guide crop development strategies . Finally,  he 
conveyed his gratitude to Brazil for having identified important long -term projects , and called on 
Brazil to consider extending such projects to  Côte d'Ivoire, due to the crucial importance of the 
cotton sector in his country , particularly to  support social stability  and empower women to becom e 
more independent.  
6.23  The representative of Burkina Faso  thanked Brazil and appreciated the efforts made 
by ABC-Brazil in the C -4 countries and beyond. He showed gratitude for the projects that ha d already 
been carried out  in the area of research in  Burkina Faso and noted that  the new projects  on the 
horizon could have a positive impact for all the countries in the region, as cotton was an  integrated 
regional system. He expressed the will to continue the cooperation with the Embassy of Brazil in 
Burkina Faso and looked forward  to seeing initiative s being carried forward in the C-4 countries and 
beyond.   
6.24  The representative of Mozambique  thanked the Director -General and the WTO secretariat for 
having organised the DGCFMC , as well as all the  development  partners in the room . She explained  
that in Mozambique cotton was a strategic crop, a "cash crop " for thousands of farmers from rural  
areas . Unfortunately,  however,  value addition activities in the country were still limited  vis à vis  the 
well-established awareness of the potential value of cott on processing to kick off  industrial 
transformation.  She reported that, despite two terrible natural disasters, Mozambique, with the 
assistance of the international community, was recovering from damag es and ready to seize new 
opportunities for cotton development in Mozambique, as provided by the partners gathered at 
the DGCFMC.  She expressed specific interest  in learning about the development of cotton 
by-products, the mechanised  classification of fibre and  the strengthening of cotton research. In 
closing her intervention, s he expressed gratitude to the C -4 countries for their leadership and 
recognised that the demand for assistance in the cotton producing countries, mainly in LDCs 
including Mozambique,  is still enormous. She welcomed  the new  ACF initiative and urged all cotton 
development partners to continue addressing developing countries'  needs for  technical assistance.  
6.25  The Chairman  recalled that the representative of Chad had mentioned in his intervention the 
institutional framework of the WT O and wished that a solution could soon be found to the great 
problem of preserving the dispute settlement function  of the WTO . Responding to the representative 
of Mozambique, he said  that such situations as natural disasters and the relevant loss of lives may 
not be remedied  through DA , but that the whole WTO membership should join forces to support 
fellow Members who find themselves in this type of situations . TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  6.26  The representative of B enin thanked ABC-Brazil for all  the efforts it deploy ed for 
the C-4 countries. He reported that Benin was a key cotton producer in Africa and the project  on lint 
classification implemented by  Brazil in Benin ha d contributed significantly to achiev ing this result . 
He argued  that this project would have  enable d Benin and the other C -4 countries to move to the 
second phase of quality -oriented production  towards enhanced  competitive ness in the world market.  
6.27  The representative of Brazil  thanked all the African countries for their comments. He  officially 
extended an invitation to attend the  2019 conference of the  Brazilian  Cotton  Association  and hoped 
that all the  16 African  countries having active cooperation with ABC  could send represen tatives  to 
that important event . He concluded by ensuring his availability for further bilateral talks during the 
WTO cotton days to all who might be interested in cooperating with ABC on cotton development 
projects as well as on the conference of the Braz ilian Cotton Association . 
6.28  The Chairman  thanked Mr Nelci Peres Caixeta  of ABC-Brazil and noted that it was  the second 
time for  ABC to be represented at the meeting and participate actively , denoting the great level of 
engagement of Brazil in global cotton DA coordination through the DGCFMC . He then introduced the 
fourth presentation under Item 6, by Mr Matthias Knappe of the International Trade Centre  (ITC), 
addressing m arket entry constrai nts for African cotton ( based on document WT/CFMC/W/77 ). 
6.29  The representative of ITC  announced that he  would provide an exposé on lessons  learned  from 
projects  the ITC  had implemented  in recent years.  Relevant work had been  done in Central, East ern 
and Southern African countries , addressing  cotton promotion together with ginners, cotton 
companies and farmer association s. 
6.30  The first lesson learnt referred to sustainable cotton  or identity cotton , which he said  appeared 
to be e xpanding under the current market conditions, yet only one third  of Sub-Saharan Africa 
appeared to be certified as  sustainable under one or another scheme.  He explained that Sub-Saharan 
African cotton ha d a better environmental footprint than  mechanically -harvested cotton : it was 
rain-fed and no blue water resources were used in  cultivation. As a consequence, he argued that 
development part ners should work to support branding efforts of African cotton throug h 
sustainability schemes, thus  also informing  value chain  actors , retailers  and consumers that 
Sub-Saharan African cotton ha d a much lower environmental footprint than many other origins.  
6.31  Secondly, he highlighted  the importance of instrument -tested cotton, noting that 
instrument -testing ha d become the commercial standard in cotton trad ing, while  non-instrument 
tested cotton in principle was penalized by defect of pre -priced discount , which was factored into 
the final price. Thus, th ere was a  need for African countries to move into larger scale 
instrument -testing  and to ensure that lint quality in every bale would be homogeneous. He a dded 
that b ale-marking , which had just been implemented by some cotton companies in Africa, increased  
transparency for consumers  and ensured that certain  cotton  grades  obtained the price premi a they 
deserved over other grades of lower quality . 
6.32  Thirdly, he noted that hand-picked cotton  – typical of African cultivations – needed additional 
branding efforts because it was of intrinsic ally higher  quality than machine -picked cotton. 
Nevertheless, hand -picked cotton was traded at a discount.  
6.33  Finally, he noted that an overall lesson learnt rela ted to inclusiveness for farmers; he quoted 
research by the World Bank proving that linking farmers directly to the international market 
increa sed income and reduce d poverty (this applied in  general to agricultural products). He indicated 
that ITC fully es poused this approach. Moreover, he noted, farmers were often disconnected from 
each other; this could be addressed through  the empowerment of farmers to understand value 
chain s, market s, price determination mechanism s and negotiation s, in order  to overcome 
asymmetry of information /power while also allowing  farmers  to benefit  to a greater extent  from the 
assistance given to the  cotton sector  as a whole . 
6.34  The Chairman  thanked Mr Matthias Knappe for his presentation . He mentioned that one of the 
subject s of real interest at the WTO was quality infrastructure in the  area of product  standards , for 
which  technical assistance and support was needed. Consequen tly, he made reference  to the work 
of the Standards and Trade Development Facility  (STDF) and  promised  that the secretariat would 
have explored ways to link matters related to quality infrastructure improvement in cotton through 
cooperation with the ITC. He further commented on  the value of using  artificial intelligence  in TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  agriculture to achieve a more efficient use of input s and resources.  He then opened the floor for 
comments and questions .  
6.35  The representative of Benin  thank ed Mr. Matthias Knappe for the information provided on 
quality aspects and comparativeness of cotton. He pointed out  that ITC work ed together with 
developing countries to provide an interface between  cotton  producers and international market s, 
and acknowledged the value of this servi ce. He added that  the cooperation with Mr . Knappe on 
cotton had started two decades before and welcome d the efforts and the high -quality  services 
provided by Mr Knappe and the ITC .  
6.36  The representative of  Chad thanked Mr. Knappe for his presentation and all the efforts 
undertaken in relation to African cotton. He then stated that there ha d been some promotional work 
undertaken  with cotton companies and marketers to promote cotton consumption among the 
spinning sector in Asian markets , thus he thanked ITC  and encourage d Mr Knappe  to continue in 
that direction . He emphasized th e need for further promotion of African cotton, leveraging on its 
intrinsic sustainability, as explained by Mr Knappe. He also noted the im portance of activities  
supporting African operators  on cotton classification  and added examples of successful trust -building 
actions undertaken thanks to the support of ITC with buyers in  China, India, Pakistan and Malaysia. 
He closed by commenting on the issue of pricing, as  mentioned by Mr. Knappe , noting the difficulty 
of making smallholders participate in price construction due to the complexity of relevant  process es.  
6.37  The representative  of China  thanked Mr. Knappe for his presentation  and asked more 
information on the role of new  technolog ies in improving the  position  of smallholders .  
6.38   The representative of ITC , Mr. Knappe , thanked the Chairman and explained that his 
presentation covered also cotton production issues in the Eastern and Southern Africa  (ESA) 
sub-region, which had peculiar issues to face, possibly very different from the  those faced by 
the C-4, notably in relation to the lack of farme r cooperatives . On the question  raised by China, he 
noted that ITC had facilitated south -south cooperation on various programmes, working together 
with various Chinese associations  to facilitate the transfer of technologies  from China to Africa .  
6.39  The representative of Chad  made a comment on  exchange rate  fluctuation  effects on cotton 
markets . The representative of ITC  clarified that the issue raised was very sensitive, with implications 
for the entire economy, not only cotton .  
6.40  The Chairman  suggested t hat the issue of African cotton being intrinsically more sustainable  
than other origins  could have been conveyed very prominently at the WTO Launch of World Cotton 
Day, on 7 October 2019, even because various segments of cot ton value chain s would have been  
represented  on that occasion . He thanked Mr.  Matthias Knappe for his presentation and moved on 
to the next prese ntation , by Mr.  Alan McClay, CEO of Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) , providing an 
overview of BCI's initiatives.  
6.41  The representative of BCI , Mr. Alan McClay , thanked the WTO  secretariat and noted the 
presence in the room of several  countries where BCI operate d and many other countries in which 
BCI's chain of custody was represented. He noted that BCI aimed at market transformation through 
demand -side drivers . Since its inception, BCI had reached 2 million farmers in 21  countries , training 
them on more sustainable agriculture practices. Their scheme thus included  capacity building,  
representing  the bulk of the ir work, and covering  all levels of the supply chain. He  reported that 
most of their funds  came from the private sector , with  all the contributions to training programs  
being  allocated to capacity building for farmers.  
6.42  He noted that traceability was particularly  expensive , thus leading BCI to adopt a  mass custody 
model  to trace cotton transactions . He further noted that Brazil and  China were examples of 
countries where BCI operated extensively; a high number of projects was also concentrated in 
Pakistan  and India. BCI maintained liaison offices in all of these countries.  
6.43  He explained that some of the key issues linked to cotton production covered by BCI included 
input, pesticide, and water management. He showed several positive results from projects 
implemented by BCI  addressing these key issues and asserted that markets could be better 
organized to better manage resources  and inputs, provided c apacity building  needs were met. He TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  closed his presentation by announcing the objective of  reach ing 30% of world  cotton  production 
certified against the BCI scheme by the end of 2020.  
6.44  The Chairman  thanked the representative of BCI an d noted that the WTO , the W orld Health 
Organization  (WHO)  and the FAO had recently held a joint  conference  on food safety, where 
discussions on  traceability and the availability of relevant technologies  were prominent. A pplied to 
cotton,  he added,  these traceability -related  technologies could increase significantly the ability of 
value chain operators, including sustainability schemes, to convey to the final  consumers the right 
information about the sustainability performance  of products  containing cotton .  
6.45  The representative of M ali thanked BCI and noted that BCI was presen t in Mali and  was 
undertaking tremendous efforts to help producers , but that a change in approach was probably 
recommendable. He explained that the use of pesticides was sometimes necessary, but that under 
the BCI scheme  fewer pesticides could  be used , so some sort of flex ibility was to be introduced.  He 
further noted that BCI-certified production in Mali reached 30% by volume, but that the relevant 
price premia  deriving from the label  were probably  being  captured by international operators outside 
of Mali; he argued that farmers in particular did not benefit from these price mark -ups, so increased 
transparency was needed  throughout the chain , taking as a model the smaller schemes centred on 
organic/fair trade cotton, for instance. He concluded by calling on increased effort s to help farmers 
obtain the necessary know -how, particularly in respect of the use of pesticides and other practices 
that might play a role in cotton certification schemes.   
6.46  The representative of BCI  clarified that BCI programs were not aimed at  dictat ing a given 
quantit y of pesticide  to use , but rather  at supporting  efforts to reduce  toxicity  and implement  more 
sustainable  agricultural  practices . On the issue of price premia  not benefitting farmers , he 
acknowledged the existence of the problem  as reported by various countries  but underlined that BCI 
was created to be neutral in respect of market negotiations ; he regretted the situation and hoped 
that farmers ' revenue s could be increased and supported th rough actions  on chemical inputs and 
improved water management.  He closed his intervention  by echoing what the Chairman said about 
traceability technologies, calling for more attention on this issue based on the experience of the food 
industry, which had  brought  various new  technolog ies for  traceability on agriculture  production 
where edible crops were concerned; accordingly, he foresaw that traceability technologies would 
have become more affordable  with technological  progress.  
6.47  The Chair man thanked all the speakers  and, before closing Item 6 discussions, reported that 
G20 Agriculture Ministers  were united on the issue of fair rewards for  farmers . He recorded 
agreement on the publication of all the statements and presentations made under Item  6 and moved 
on to Item  7. 
7  DOMESTIC COTTON SECT OR AND OTHER REFORMS /NATIONAL COTTON SEC TOR FOCAL 
POINTS  
7.1  The Chairman  introduced agenda Item 7 by noting that the secretariat had received updates on 
domestic cotton sector reforms from Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Mali , as reflect ed in 
document  WT/CFMC/21/Rev.1 7 of 24 May 2019. He further  recalled that the contact details of 
national cotton sector focal points were listed in Part  III of the Evolving Table, and that updates on 
such coordinates had been received only from Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi,  Chad and  Mali. He 
strongly encouraged  other  beneficiary countries to share updated information on their national 
cotton sector focal p oints, and noted that such information was relevant for doing business because 
it was periodically updated on  Cotton Portal ( https://www.cotto nportal.org/cotton/en/cotton -
content/wto -corner#national -focal-points -table). He then invited the delegations who wish ed to take 
the floor to share with participants their latest information on Domestic Cotton Sector Reforms.  
7.2  The representative of Benin  informed participants that Benin had  reached a new record in its 
2019 production,  with 700 tonnes of seed cotton , owing to a set of reforms that had  had positive 
impact s on production. The most significant of these reforms  addressed the provision of better inputs  
and the  regular payment for cotton growers. This reform involved both producers  and ginners  in a 
restructuring of the agricultural sector  on the basis of public -private partnership s. Moreover, several 
efforts had been  made to enhance sustainability, including with the support of the Agence Française 
de Développement  (AFD) , which he thanked . He further reported  the various  GIZ-led projects  had 
helped the country  to adjust towards  more sustainable  farming /processing  practices.   TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  7.3  The representative of Chad  reported that there had been  changes in the structure of the cotton 
sector in Chad,  especially in Cotontchad . The Chadian cotton sector  was booming, he said, in spite 
of the  challenges  it had faced  in the past , such as  two consecutive  seasons in which farmers were 
not paid , leading to the abandon ment of  cotton. Yet, a new private partner entered the  sector,  
OLAM  international Ltd., with a  60% share of capital  in Cotontchad  (the State ha d 35% and the  
remaining 5% belonged to cotton growers ). In September 2018 , a survey showed that  cultivated 
land in Chad went from 50 ,000 hectares to 364 ,000 hectares. In March  2019, he said, figures 
showed tha t 390,000 hectares  were being cultivated . As a result , factors of production were 
purchased  (e.g. more than 800 ,000 tonnes of seed s were imported)  and the upcoming season , 
2019/2020 , could experience an increase  in production  to 250,000 tonnes  of seed cotton  
(from 30,000 tonnes  of lint of the previous two seasons ). As regards ginning mills , he reported that 
three  new ginning mills in three  different areas  of the country  would  have become  operational in 
2020, proving that the country had an investment strategy focused on modern  ginning equipment.  
7.4  The representative of Burkina Faso  reported that a high -level steering committee responsible 
for the follow up o n various measures  affecting the cotton sector had been set up in the country.  
After two seasons (2017 and 2018) characterized by v ery harsh  pest attack s, he reported, various 
efforts were being made to re -establish production and productivity at competitive levels. He 
underscored that th e country was analysing policies to support this process,  in particular by ensuring 
that cotton producers  would become  the main industry players.  
7.5  The representative of Mali  thanked development partners and the WTO secretariat, and noted 
that reforms were underway to reorganize the cotton sector, with a new organigramme of the CMDT 
as well as new  procedural actions to support  textile development. He reported that the most 
important challenge  facing  the industry was processing , so the country had planned to set up three  
new ginneries, bringing the total number of ginneries to 20. In terms of the last  harvest, he added,  
Mali produced 600 ,000 tonnes of seed cotton ; the production of lint in Mali was estimated 
at 255,000 tonnes . 
7.6  The representative of Côte d'Ivoire  reported that the  2018/2019 season ha d seen a record level 
of production,  with a production of  400,000 tonnes  of seed cotton accompanied by productivity 
improvements. He added that t he cotton industry  was a very important sector , particularly for the 
poorest sections of the population, and invited development partners to continue their work in 
supporting Côte d'Ivoire.  
7.7  The representative of Jamaica  made a  statement on behalf of the ACP Group. She thanked 
participants for the very rich and insightful contributions  and noted the A CP Group satisfaction with 
the attention  given by the WTO to the issue of cotton. She called for the  elimination of trade 
distortion s affecting cotton  and noted how the WTO work on cotton had contributed towards raising  
awareness and greater recognition of the importance of cotton in the economies of many of the 
poorest countries in the world , several of which were Members of the ACP group.  
7.8  She noted that intensif ying cotton cultivation translated into  enhanc ed food security and better 
food production . Secondly, she stressed that world cotton prices ha d not experienced long -term 
positive trends , as seen in other agricultural commodit y sectors , and that they had also been subject 
to considerabl e volatility.  As a large share of cotton production was traded internationally , the ups 
and downs in the cotton market were transmitted directly to cotton prod ucers in the poorest 
countries , where governments lack the means and the resources to protect farmers or compensate 
them for adverse effects due to external factors. While some progress ha d been made in reforming 
policies , she concluded,  large subsidies co ntinue d to distort world cotton prices to the detriment of 
efficient producers.  
7.9  Finally, she  outlined  the challenges and opportunities provided by  cotton value chain s for job 
creation in the manufacturing sector . She referred to the 27th version of the  ET on cotton 
development assistance  and noted that the document demonstrated the continued material support 
that the WTO membership provide d directly and indirectly to the cotton sector.  In that connection, 
she called for an increase in the  quantity and quality of  such support ; she stressed that the 
information provided in the ET as well as the Domestic Reforms Table was valuable  to promote 
efficiency  and coordination in project planning and implementation, as well as to foster partnership s. TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  7.10  The Chairman t hanked all the speakers under Item 7 and proposed that the DGCFMC take 
note of the statements being made and reflect them in the report of the meeting. It was so agreed.  
8  TOPICAL SESSION ON P ROJECT EFFECTIVENESS  
8.1  The Chairman  introduced Item 8 by noting that  discussions on project effectiveness were aimed 
to respond to matters raised by Members at the last meeting of th e DGCFMC  (WT/CFMC/5 8); at that 
meeting, various  Members had expressed the view that more attention  should  be dedicated to the 
assessment of the impact of projects listed in the ET.  Some Members also suggested that a 
mechanism to show project impacts could be included in the  ET in future revisions. These proposals 
were endorsed by the  DGCFMC , hence the  Item 8 discussion of the day addressing  some ideas to 
mainstream information on project effectiveness in the ET, as well as presentations on the impact 
of selected projects.  
8.2  He further r ecalled that the Nairobi Ministerial Decision on Cotton (WT/MIN(15)/46) state d in 
relevant part that Members underline the importance of "effective assistance " to support the cotton 
sector in developing countr ies, especially the LDCs amongst them. He noted the firm commitment 
of the DGCFMC to be the platform to implement ministerial ma ndates on cotton development 
assistance . He then introduced the first speaker under Item 8, the AFD, wh o shared  recent 
implementation experiences and lessons learned from concluded projects . 
8.3  The representative of AFD  thanked th e WTO for having  organized th is important session on 
project effectiveness and started his presentation by explaining the importance of cotton 
development in West and Central African countries  from the  AFD perspective . From the 
mid-19th century , he said,  France had invested  about 900  million  euros in the sector . This assistance 
had been g ranted  over time and in a variable manner , depending on the  historical and political 
period s. He stressed that cotton was produced in a sustainable manner in Western and Central 
Africa, thro ugh family farming producing high quality  lint which, he echoed  previous speakers , was 
not recognised for its true value. He further underlined that cotton kept on being of crucial economic 
value for several countries , thus justifying in full new  strategic  investments that would generate 
additional revenue and contribute to food security. Cotton  was also a catalyst for cooperation in the 
region, which was highlighted by AFD as an important  element contributi ng to political stability . 
8.4  Secondly , he noted that  the AFD had the objective of having a positive impact on this  cotton  
industry , with targeted projects focus ed on the production of organic cotton  and the creation of 
sustainable jobs , particularly for the youth . He reported about  recently concluded projec ts in Mali, 
as well as projects in the pipeline with other countries  including  Benin , Burkina Faso and Cameroon . 
He focused on a recently concluded project in Mali  (the "PASE", worth 11  million euros) , where  the 
programme , due to last four years , was extended by two additional years to include activities on 
literacy  as a key aspect to improve production, sustainability  and governance . The first lesson learn t 
from the implementation of  this project, he noted,  was the importance of  operating  on-going 
adjustments  to project activities  pursuant to  changes in the local industry . He also reported about  
challenges related to the  institutional support  for the project , due to changes in local administrations 
and the  consequential  need to rebuild trust  at every c hange . 
8.5  The last point  he made  related to new projects of the AFD in the  West Africa  region, this time 
focusing on agro-ecological aspects to enhance  sustainable practices but also yield. Fragile soil s 
including due to acidification constituted an issue to be addressed upfront, he stressed. Accordingly, 
new projects had  three components:  1) enhanc ing productivity and sustainability based on  R&D; 
2) focussing on innovation; and 3)  ensur ing the longstanding nature of project impacts. All in all, he 
underscored, a more systemic approach was to be espoused, involving the whole cotton sector and  
ensur ing gender mainstreaming, adaptation to climate change  and more inclusive and transparent 
governing systems.  
8.6  The Chairman  thanked the representative of AFD  for his presentati on, and called the 
representative of the EU , Mr. Willem Olthof  and Ms Yvonne Chileshe  of the ACP Secretariat , to join 
the podium and make a  joint-presentation on behalf of DG -DEVCO  on the impacts of various projects 
implemented with the support of the EU . TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  8.7  The representative of the EU  noted the significant progress made by the C -4 cotton initiative 
during the last decade. He thanked Ms. Yvonne Chileshe of the ACP Secretariat  to accompany the 
presentation as the EU cooperate d very closely w ith the ACP countries , both individually and as a 
group .  
8.8  He first noted that Agenda 2030  was the guiding document for the development cooperation 
actions of the EU. Accordingly, development -oriented policies ha d three fundamental angles : social, 
economic and environment al. These, he noted, all ha d a bearing on cotton  development and ha d to 
be address ed in an integrated way. Secondly, he mentioned EU documents referring to  agriculture 
as a key transformational sector to achieve growth and poverty reduction , also acknowledging the 
key role the private sector should play in that context. Thirdly, he repo rted that the need to catalyse 
efforts for  climate change mitigation was another driving element of EU development programmes. 
Finally, he reported about a new initiative , the 2018  EU-Africa Alliance for Sustainable Development 
and Jobs, which look ed at sustainable investment s with calibrated  employment -creation  effects . 
8.9  He highlighted that the EU aimed at  a productive, sustainable and resilient agriculture sector to 
support rural life. Multi -stakeholder approaches  that included  farmers  were thus to be favo ured in 
project design, as much as local ownership of development programmes . The types of support 
provided by the EU were  three: 1)  transfers to partner governments, 2) project -based  support , and 
3) "blending " with other forms of finance , particularly to support investments  (see WT/CFMC/57, 
paras. 6.31 -2). Moreover, the EU had recently set up an instrument called " value chain analysis for 
development " (VCA4D ) which provide d, upon request by partner -governments , very detailed 
assessment s of a specific  value chain  from a triple bottom -line: environmental, social and economic . 
8.10  He moved on to reporting on the work done by the EU for African cotton since 2004.  He noted 
that the EU/Africa Cotton Initiative had been successfu l, but also that  there  had been several  lessons 
learned.  The first of these was that strong national ownership and commitment  were vital , thus 
leading to the strategic choice of favouring operations in individual countries  rather than in regions . 
This, he maintained, would also help to build the needed support from local actors ; without which , 
no activities could ever be undertaken. Second ly, he underlined the importance of  ensuring the 
participation of all the stakeholders. Another lesson, specific to the cotton sector, was about the 
need to go beyond cotton production, towards infrastructure, industrialization , schooling, etc.  He 
further underlined the need to work based o n sound analytics as another milestone in project 
implementation . Finally, he concluded, it was crucial to invest resources in monitoring and 
evaluation  (M&E) and measurement of results; he acknowledged the intrinsic difficulty of this 
exercise, but also h ighlighted the value in terms of showing the  real achievements of a project. He 
mentioned the presentation given earlier by BCI (under Item 6) as a case in point where measuring 
results allow ed to showcase achievements. The key impacts the EU was seeking i n cotton projects, 
he stressed, related to effects on livelihoods. He concluded by giving the floor to the 
ACP representative, to provide some additional perspectives  on project impacts in rural areas.  
8.11  The representative of the ACP Secretariat  thanked the WTO and the EU and recalled that , back  
in June 2018 , she had given a n Item 6  presentation at the DGCFMC on the Pan -African Cotton 
Investment Programme (PACIP)14. In that respect, she announced  that PACIP had in part been 
financed by the EU , and that the ITC  would implement some of its cotton activities for an amount of 
more than 2  million  euros . 
8.12  She then addressed the issue of project effectiveness, presenting information and data on 
the ACP/EU cotton program, which was implemented from 2013 to 2017.  She not ed that the program 
aimed at improving the competitiveness of African cotton through promotion of value addition  
activities . She added that the programme led to the improvement of the quality of African cotton  as 
well as increase d exports of cotton fibre. Other achievements included the enhancement  of local 
capacities to process cotton, strengthen local Integrated Production and Pest Management  (IPPM) 
capacities , etc. 
8.13  On the next step s, she explained that the ACP Group, the  EU and the African Union  had recently  
agreed to develop PACIP , which aimed at incorporating aspects of the Cotton Roadmap Project, too . 
The strategic focus  of PACIP was  to increase producer income and cotton productivity , as well as to  
                                                
14 See document WT/CFMC/W/74  of 18 May 201 8. TN/AG/SCC/W/31 • WT/CFMC/59  
 
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  increas e investment s in cotton  processing capacity . Improving the marketing and consumption of 
cotton and its by -products and developing capacities of institutions and professional organizations.  
8.14  The Chairman thanked the representatives of the EU and  ACP Group . He then announce d the 
last presentation  of the day, by  the Institute of Development Studies  (IDS)  and Benin,  on the impacts 
of cotton development assistance  in Benin after the launch of the WTO cotton initiative back in 2003.  
8.15  Mr Alvaro Moreira  of the IDS  and Dr . Alexis Ho ugni of Benin  provided an  overview of  the cotton 
sector  in Benin. They explained that partners such as the  World Bank, France and the Netherlands 
had played a major role in supporting the development of the sector  from 1990 onwards.  Relevant 
projects suppo rted rural development  and helped Benin develop its own national varieties.  They 
reported that, from 2005 to 2006 onwards, there were new players such as Germany and  the 
United  States.  Other partners, such as  Brazil, India, Turkey and China, joined at a later stage.  In 
concluding their presentation, they illustrated a chart showing the impact on the ground of these 
initiatives.  Since 2004 onwards , they noted, stakeholders  had benefitted from technolog ies and 
techniques  that led to increased production . This increase in production was also linked to  the 
implementation of best  practices  in soil management.  
8.16  The representative of Benin  intervened o n behalf of the C -4 to thank all the panellists for the 
rich informa tion provided and the  various initiatives related to the development of the cotton sector  
in Africa . He stressed that the discussions of the day demonstrated that international cooperation  
can indeed be effective.  He welcome d new initiatives and projects  and expressed the hope that this 
line of cooperation could be maintained and enhanced through the work of the DGCFMC . He referred 
to the presentations by the EU, the AFD and the IDS , as well as to the intervention of the 
ACP Secretariat  and its announcement  of a contribution of more than 2  million  euros  for the 
implementation of PACIP. He concluded by renewing the C -4 commitment to development 
cooperation and the positive spirit that inspire d the work of the DGCFMC.  
9  CONCLUSION  
9.1  The Chairman  thanked all the partners and referred to the words of the representative of Benin 
as the best way to close the consultations of the day . He noted that the WTO strive d to make a 
difference and achieve tangible results, and the DGCFMC was one committee wher e that objective 
was being achieved in full. He referred to various discussions under Items 6 and  8 attesting to the 
fact that  such tangible results were being achieved.  
9.2  He stressed the need to  further  increase  the level of transparency  on project reporting, inviting  
all partners to provide updates to the  ET as a starting point to discuss matters of  project 
effectiveness . He further encouraged Members and participants to continue using the Consultative 
Mechanism as an open forum for proj ect-focused discussions  and thanked th e secretariat for  the 
excellent work done in connection with the DGCFMC . 
9.3  He finally recorded agreement on publishing the meetings' presentations and proceeding on the 
WTO website, and closed the DGCFMC by reiterating h is invitation for all participants to attend the 
WTO Launch of World Cotton Day o n 7 October 2019.  
 
 
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