TN/AG/SCC/W/32  
WT/CFMC/60  
 
20 April 2020 
(20-3088) Page: 1/18 
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 th e 32nd Round of the Director -General's  
Consultative Framework Mechanism on Cotton1 
21 November 2019 
1  INTRODUCT ION 
1.1.  The 32nd Round of the Dire ctor-General's Consultative Framework Mechanism on 
Cotton  (DGCFMC) was held on 21 November 2019, under the chairmanship of  Deputy Director -
General Karl Brauner , standing in for Deputy Director -General Alan Wm. Wolff .  
1.2.  The Chair welcomed the Cotton -4 (C4) a nd all participants on behalf of 
Director -General  Roberto Azevêdo. He started the meeting by congratulat ing everyone for the 
successful  WTO Launch of World Cotton Day  (WCD),  on 7 October  2019. 
1.3.  He noted that the various high -level meetings that took place in Geneva and around the world  
for th at special occasion , demonstrated the social and economic importance of cotton as a global 
commodity. He stressed the importance of the cotton dossier at the WTO both on trad e and 
development  , especially for developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) . 
1.4.  The Chair thanked the C4 for spearheading this important WCD initiative , as well as  
the WTO Secretariat and partner organizations for their efforts to wards the success of t he event . He 
added that the collaboration with the U nited Nations  Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 
the United  Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Trade 
Centre  (ITC), and the International Cotton Advisory Committe e (ICAC) was key to this great 
achievement.  
1.5.  He specifically expressed  gratitude to those who attended and provided valuable inputs to the 
Partners' Conference, the development -oriented event of WCD, and thanked  in particular,  the 
Agence Française de Dével oppement  (AFD), Brazil, China, the Enhanced Integrated Framework 
(EIF), the  Europea n Union (EU), India, ITC, UNCTAD and UNIDO for their engagement in supporting 
various new cotton projects.  
1.6.  Ambassador Laourou of Benin  took the floor on behalf of the C4. The C4 extended their 
gratitude for the efforts, initiative and beneficial interactions  leading to  the WTO Launch of  WCD in 
Geneva on 7 October 2019.  Gratitude was particularly expressed to the secretariats of the WTO, 
ITC, UNCTAD, FAO, ICAC and UNIDO for their support in organis ing WCD and their constant and 
sustained engagement  for capacity building  related to the  production, processing, transformation, 
export and promotion of cotton. He also mentioned that the list was not exhaustive and many more 
had contributed to the success of  WCD, including  China, India,  the United States  (US), Brazil and 
others.  
 
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.  TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  1.7.  The C4 also thanked Ambassador Deep Ford, Chair of the C ommittee on Agriculture in Special 
Session (CoA -SS), and the entire WTO Agriculture Division team. The C4 also expressed their 
gratitude to wards  bilateral, regional and multilateral  partners  who supported  the launch of  WCD and 
the relevant  Partner's Conference , held as the flagship development -cooperation event of  WCD. 
1.8.  Ambassador Laourou  noted that the announcements of contributions and engagement to 
support the cotton sector in Africa  would enhance the confidence of  cotton farmers  towards achieving  
greater potential to produce  cotton in their countries. He concluded by highlighting that the C4 
greatly appreciate d the organi zation of the Fashion Show  by ITC , which had allowed them to 
showcase talented designers and stylists from the C4 engaged in the creation of cotton textiles.  
1.9.  Ms Marieme Fall  of the WTO Secretariat  presented a report on the WTO Launch of WCD. She 
noted that preparation s had spanned  over ten months  and that the  event had been  initiated at the 
request of  the C4 and supported by Members , particularly those who were major cotton producers, 
consumers and traders. She stated that this event was also a result of the exemplary collaborative 
effort s and synergies amongst the WTO,  FAO, ICAC, ITC, UNCTAD  and UNIDO . She recalled the 
C4's applicati on to the UN General Assembly for the official recognition of 7 October as WCD, to 
mark the importance of cotton as a global commodity.  
1.10.   In her report , she covered three main elements : the WCD outreach  campaign, the event itself 
and the way forward. With respect to the outreach  campaign , prior to the Geneva Launch event , the 
WTO and the partner organizations promoted th e event worldwide focusing specifically on cotton -
related stakeholders across the globe. Information about the  launch event was shared with over 
6000 stakeholders through a multifaceted campaign  using  different channels . On behalf of the WTO 
Secretariat , she  extended  gratitude  to the Ministers, Ambassador s, Heads of International 
Organizations, Private Sector Executives and the C4 Focal Points who  participated in the WCD social 
media campaign by recording videos  inviting all stakeholders to celebrate WCD at the WTO 
headquarters and locally .  
1.11.   The Geneva lau nch event was attended by over 800 participants mainly from the global cotton 
community. These included eight Ministers, Senior Government Officials, Parliamentarians, Heads of 
International Organizations, cotton producers, cotton promot ion agencies,  trade rs, development 
assistance partners, scientists, academics, retailers, the private sector and Geneva -based delegates. 
The breakdown of participants was noteworthy, as  30% were government officials and delegates ; 
21% were  business representatives , 19% were international organi zations ; and 8 % were academi cs, 
students and research institutes. Participants ' geographic distribution was also highly diversified, 
with participants coming from more than  90 different  countries.  
1.12.   She further  highlighted that D irector-General  Roberto Azevêdo 's opening remarks at the 
High-Level Plenary session stressed the importance of enhancing the profile of  cotton as a global 
commodity and hoped that WCD would  become a platform to bring together the cotton community . 
The other  big event of the day was the Partner's Conference , chaired by D eputy Director -General 
Alan Wm. Wolff. Several high -level participants attended the Partners ' Conference , sharing  
information about the ir forthcoming cotton projects and express ing support for t he Joint -Initiative 
on Cotton by -Products by the WTO, UNCTAD and ITC, as endorsed by WTO  Members 
in November  2018.  
1.13.   During the WTO Launch of  WCD, five side events  were organized by the WTO, UNCTAD, FAO, 
ICAC and UNIDO.  The WTO's side event entitled "Road ahead for the Cotton negotiations", resulted 
into the adoption of a joint declaration  (JOB/AG/165  - TN/AG/SCC/GEN/21 ). This was the first text 
on cotton to be adopted since 2015. In the text , a group of key cotton Members r eaffirmed the need 
to continue and enhance monitoring of cotton -related trade measures affecting the global cotton 
market. The statement also supports the intensif ication of the discussion  of factors negatively 
impacting cotton trade and markets, all this to try to advance the cotton negotiations for an outcome 
at C12. 
1.14.   She concluded her report by noting that WCD had been  celebrated globally , with  12 countries  
sharing specific stories  and images of their celebrations . She mentioned that, for example, Cotton 
Australia had  organized a photo competition on cotton production by local communities ; Cotton Guru 
India a farm marathon ; the Chinese Academy of Ag ricultural  Science  (CAAS)  an official  celebrat ion; 
and Pakistan had  organized two  official  events . She concluded  her report by emphasiz ing the major  TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  impact and result s of WCD, including  the network that had been  established  together with the 
outcomes on the cotton trade and development tracks.  
1.15.   The Chair thanked Ms. Marieme Fall for her detailed report and echoed the call to Members 
and other participants to help  spread the word about all the  positive outcomes  of WCD,  and support 
the swift adoption of a UN resolution recognizing  7 October  as WCD. He then gave the floor to the 
representative of ICAC to make a  statement.  
1.16.   Mr. Kai Hughes of ICAC thank ed all partner organi zations, the C4 and  the WTO's cotton team 
for their work towards  making WCD a success. He stated that the event surpassed  
ICAC's  expectations and the feedback received was very positive.  Indeed, f or a sectoral, yet  
influential inter -governmental organization like ICAC, this  event  provided an opportunity to highlight 
their initiatives aimed at increasing yields for poor farmers in de veloping countries.  He further 
highlighted the positive signal given by the  number of ICAC non-member states  attend ing the event.  
He reported that, after the event, various  ICAC non-members approached ICAC with interest in 
becoming members, and this was a particularly welcome outcome of the day for ICAC . 
1.17.   He reported that ICAC had  held four major  events  at WCD . First , a booth  where a new App 
developed by ICAC to perform  diagnostic s of soil health was available to delegates for free essays. 
In addition, sever al delegates were able to experience ICAC's  Virtual Reality project "Seeing is 
Believing " by virtually walking around a cotton field and looking at some  real-life issues arising from 
cotton cultivation particularly in relation to pest management . This was the first time ICAC  tested 
this tool and the feedback  received allowed them to apply some  important  changes  to its core 
functions.  ICAC's second event was the ICAC high -level panel discussion  entitled "Plotting the future 
path for cotton" , consisting of six executives from the cotton supply chain  who shared their thoughts 
on many challenges  faced by cotton . The discussions addressed  climate change, yields, traceability, 
changing consumer preferences and microfibre pollution. The third event was the WCD Photo 
Contest, which received entries from more than 200 individuals  from around the world. Four winners 
were announced, and funds were raised to pay for their travel to Geneva to attend the WTO launch 
of WCD and receive their awards in person. Finally, ICAC  sponsored  the closing reception in 
partnership  with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit  (GIZ - Germany) . 
1.18.   He announced that for the subsequent year s, ICAC would  promot e WCD by bringing together  
organi zations and private sector companies  to jointly  celebrate  WCD. The responsibility to promot e 
WCD within  ICAC w ould fall under its Private Sect or Advisory Panel which consisted  of 30 of the 
most influential leaders in the cotton and textile sectors ; thus, ensuring that the whole of t he cotton  
and textiles value chain be involved and engaged . ICAC  also hoped to play an active role in 
supporting the C4 in having their pr oposal accepted at the UN for an official recogni tion of 7  October 
as WCD. He concluded his statement by proposing to hold a gl obal WCD celebration every four years, 
to be hosted by the founding partner organizations o n a rotational basis.   
1.19.   The Chair thanked Mr. Hughes for his statement  and gave the floor to the representative 
of ITC. 
1.20.   Mr. Matthias Knappe of ITC presented a video  on activities for  which ITC  took the lead  at WCD,  
i.e., the Fashion Show and the pop -up store. The video highlight ed some of the important aspects 
in value addition for cotton f ibre in Africa in general and the  in the  C4 in particular. The video show ed 
the creativity and originality of the designers in the C4 , which demonstrate d what can be done with 
African cotton on the African continent. ITC hope d that African designers and co tton companies, 
particularly from the C4 , could use it to promote value addition, creativity and design made in Africa. 
Further to the Fashion Show and the video, ITC contributed to WCD by organizing a side event i n 
collaboration with UNCTAD on cotton valu e addition.  
1.21.   The Chair thanked Mr. Knappe  for his statement  and gave the floor to the representative of 
the FAO . 
1.22.   The representative  of the FAO , Mr. Ahmad Mukhtar,  stated  that they were pleased to be 
partner s for the WTO Launch of WCD, and hope d that the  recognition  process at the United Nations  
General Assembly  would be  completed in due course.  The FAO expressed gratitude to the delegations 
of the C4 countries, the WTO Secretariat and other partners , including ICAC, ITC, UNCTAD 
and UNIDO, who ma de the event  possible.  He reported that FAO's newly elected Secretary -General , TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  Mr. Qu Dongyu , attended WCD personally  and addressed the plenary session , assur ing 
FAO's continued cooperation on cotton development assistance, particularly to the C -4 and othe r 
developing countries.  
1.23.   He noted that the  FAO was pleased to have also organized a side event where 
Director -General Qu noted the importance of cotton to the economies of many developing countries, 
particularly the LDCs, as a major source of livelihood and income for millions of rural smallholders. 
He stressed that, through the economic activities it generated and the impact on millions of rural 
smallholders and workers, cotton could  make a positive contribution to the achievement of 
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He also mentioned that innovation - digita l 
innovation in particular - could  help boost  productivity at every stage of the cotton value chain, while 
reducing resource use and negative  environmental impact s. The side event also benefitted from the 
perspectives shared by several countries and organizations , including  Her Excellency  Ms. Madjidi an 
Padja Ruth, Minister of Production, Irrigation and Agricultural Equipment  from the  Republic of Chad, 
who emphasiz ed that the  opportunities and challenges faced by the sector called for greater 
investment s and market access for cotton products.  His Excel lency Mr. Khurram Dastgir Khan, 
Member of the National Assembly and former Minister of Commerce  of Pakistan, highlighted the 
environmental challenges facing the sector, particularly water scarcity, while Ms. Alia Mali k, Director 
of Implementation of  the Be tter Cotton Initiative (BCI) , provided a brief overview of actions 
undertaken by BCI to foster the sustainability of cotton, particularly in Africa.  
1.24.   In his concluding remarks, he highlighted that FAO 's presentation  at the side event  focused 
on structural f actors shaping the international cotton market  and its sustainability. The core message 
was that prices of textiles and apparels have not increased, in real terms, over the past 30 years, 
while costs of supplying these products have witnessed consistent ri se. This result ed in the reduction 
of real profit margins for the cotton supply chain , thus putting price pressure on cotton farmers, 
particularly smallholders.  
1.25.   The Chair thanked  FAO for their contribution and gave the floor to  the representative 
of UNCTAD  to make a statement on WCD .  
1.26.   The representative  of UNCTAD , Mr. Kris Terauds,  started by thanking and congratulating 
everyone for the success of the WTO Launch of WCD. He added that the energy and enthusiasm 
were great  througho ut the da y. He confirmed that the draft General A ssembly resolution ha d indeed 
made its  way to the UN Secretariat  in New York. He first added that UNCTAD value d cotton as an 
agriculture crop with enormous development potential and consider ed value addition  as one of the 
key channels  towards the sustainable development of the sector . On WCD, he added that UNCTAD 
had organised a side event with ITC on value addition in Africa where speakers representing farmers, 
regulators and even textile manufacturers  had p rovided explanations as to the relevant challenges 
and opportunities of enhanced value addition in Africa . He also underlined the need for technical 
assistance  in developing countries , to generate more revenues and to provide a centre for them to 
grow more cotton by creating a more resilient cotton sector. He concluded by reporting that UNCTAD 
had also participated in the Partner's Conference  where with the WTO and ITC they presented a  joint 
draft proposal for a second phase of the joint -project on developing cotton by -products in eight pilot 
African  LDCs. Regarding th is project proposal, he added that valuable feedback  had been received 
after the presentation, which was being incorporated in the proposal itself.  Overall , he concluded,  
UNCTAD view ed the Launch of WCD as a ringing success.  
1.27.   The Chair thanked the representative of UNCTAD and gave the floor to UNIDO  to make a 
statement on WCD .  
1.28.   The representative of UNIDO , Mr. Frank van Rompaey,  started by congratulating the C4, the 
WTO Secretariat and other organising entities for the successful Launch of WCD and thanked them 
for associating UNIDO to this first edition.  He added that for UNIDO the event provided an excellent 
opportunity to interact with countr ies delegations,  sector experts and development partners , and 
hear first -hand about the priorities of both cotton producing countries and development partners.  
1.29.   He mentioned that the side events were interesting and generated lively discussions, including 
the event that UNIDO organized on technology and innovation for a sustainable, competitive and 
efficient cotton -textile sector. Specific focus in this event was given to how companies could  
counterbalance  the adverse effects that automation c ould cause with regards to employment , and TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  the extent to which  innovation and technology  could  help to respond to consumer demands  
effectively and sustainably .  
1.30.   During the ent ire WCD, and particularly at the Partners ' Conference, UNIDO noted the strong 
demand for support to cotton value chain initiatives in Africa, which in their view require d a 
comprehensive and coordinated response. In this context, UNIDO reaffirmed UNIDO 's commitment 
to working with countries and development partners in developing such a response and jointly 
mobilizing the required funding . 
1.31.   The Chair thanked all for their comments and suggestions and added that the Secretariat had 
taken note of the points  made and  would  reflect  them in the report of th e meeting , with any  follow 
up actions on the side of the Secretariat  implemented in due course.  He also recalled  ICAC proposal 
to hold a gl obal WCD celebration every four years, hosted by WCD's founding partner organizations 
on a rotational basis , in order to  highlight cotton 's importance and benefits to global trade and 
econom ies periodically . It was so agreed.  
1.32.   He then moved on and introduced the main highlights of the meeting's agenda , which included 
the standing  presentation by  ICAC under Item 3 and the presentation on the revised Evolving Table 
by the  WTO Secretariat under Item 4 . He also noted  the interventions scheduled under item 6 on 
"cotton projects", namely: by the C -4, by the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) 
Group, by individual countries, by the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH - The Netherlands ) and by 
the WTO  Secretariat. The agenda was adopted.  
2  STATEMENT BY THE C-4 COORDINATOR  
2.1.  Under item 2, the Chair invited Ambassador Laourou of Benin to make a statement on behalf 
of the C4.  
2.2.  The representative  of Benin , speaking on behalf of the C 4, welcomed everyone present, notably 
the Ambassadors, Heads of Diplomatic Missions, WTO high -level officials and represen tatives of 
development agencies . He thanked the Chair and the  WTO Agriculture and Commodities Division, 
as well as all the partners in development assistance, not only for the importance of their work and 
the processes under way, but also for the various i nitiatives taken to facilitate more dynamic 
discussions at the DGCFMC . 
2.3.  He stated that cotton was a strategic sector for the C4 and beyond , including  the 36 African 
countries that produce d and export ed cotton , including LDCs in Africa and in other ACP regio ns.  
2.4.  Following the results of the first WCD, he assured that there had been renewed commitments 
that emphasized that momentum should  be maintained.  Mentioning the statements by the WTO, 
ICAC, ITC, FAO and UNIDO, he  noted that these  statements were reflecti ve of the C4 future 
expectations towards WCD . He added that , on the C4 side,  the details of the Cotton Roadmap P roject 
(WT/CFMC/W/73) would be discussed under item 6. In his concluding remarks, he thanked all for 
their commitments and initiatives and the fruitful  synerg ies that had been created.  
3  COTTON PRODUCTION AN D TRADE TRENDS  
3.1.  The Chair thanked the C4 Coordinator for the statement and introduced  agenda i tem 3: Cotton 
Production and Trade Trends. He added that , pursuant to past discussions by Members and in the 
light of on -going work in cotton development -assistance projects, Mr. Kai  Hughes of  ICAC had 
suggested to focus hi s presentation on various issue areas  related to the sustainability of the cotton 
sector , namely:  seeds and harvest index; an assessment on stalks, and finally , a note on the use of 
hybrid seeds  in Africa . 
3.2.  Mr. Kai Hughes  of ICAC  addressed  some small steps that countries , particularly  in Africa and 
Asia, could take in order to make a  difference to  the sustainability of  the cotton  sector while also 
increasing yields.  
3.3.  He added that the regional average  yield for sub -Saharan Africa wa s around 350 kg of lint per 
hectare , compared to  a global average of 800 kg per hectare. Yields in other rain -fed countries , such 
as Brazil, reached 1800 kg per hectare. Against this background, he noted that an increase in yields TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  in Sub -Saharan Africa to global average levels could  result in additional 2 million tonnes  of lint, of 
which  1 million ton nes would come from the top 5 producing countries in Africa.  
3.4.  He further highlighted that global cottonseed production ha d ranged between 36 and 48  million 
tonnes in the previous  decade. World cottonseed production plunged from 48 million ton nes 
in 2009/10 to 36 million ton nes in 2015/16, a decline of 12 million ton nes or 25%. Since then, 
cottonseed production ha d increased again and reached 45.8 million ton nes in 2018/19.  
3.5.  Mr. Hughes  emphasized the importance of cottonseed in the production of various key cotton 
by-products , such as oil and cake , and stated that this  was an area which deserve d more attention, 
as more seeds mean t enhanced ability to make more by -products , which could be fostered by  greater 
yields , coupled with the right technologies and processing techniques .  
3.6.  He then discussed some of the problems in achieving higher  yield levels,  especially in Africa 
and India, including  the issue of  "fuzzy seeds ". Under fuzzy seeds, Mr.  Hughes  declared that  the 
majority of African countries we re wasting seeds by sowing fuzzy seeds.  This wastage was alarmingly 
high, and some 3,675,000 hectares were being planted with fuzzy seeds , which was 75% of  the 
total planted area in Africa,  with Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Senegal, Togo, Zambia all using 
100% fuzzy seeds.  As a consequence,  the estimated  value of  cottonseed wasted in Africa was at 
least 27 mi llion USD.  
3.7.  To substantiate these statements, h e warned that f uzzy seeds contain ed bacterial blight and 
fungal and bacterial diseases carried through their spores , plus they carr ied insects such as mites 
and mealy bugs.  All these  factors  led to a low germi nation rate because of the possibility of disease 
and because the seeds could not be graded, th us result ing in even lower yields. Farmers  had to  plant 
more seeds in a  single  spot or hole , to ensure that at least one germinate d, but even this  practice 
bore its own problems , because if more than one seed germinate d, two or more plants  would grow 
from the same spot and a process called thinning  became necessary . Thinning require d manually 
uprooting the plants leaving just the best one. This c ould result in injury to the remaining plants and 
could affect germination as the roots would be  disturbed. In addition, this process require d labour , 
therefore farmers often d id not do thinning , leaving  plants to compet e amongst themselves for 
nutrients in the soil and  again resulting in lower yields . 
3.8.  ICAC recommend ed some small steps to reduce wastage, increase seed vigour, increase seed 
viability (germination percentage),  and abandon  fuzzy seeds: f irstly, delinting the seeds increase d 
yields and whilst mechanical delinting was better environmentally than acid delinting , yet if the acid s 
were disposed of correctly , acid delinting would be a  better and cheaper  option for delinting . 
Secondly, grading the seeds w ould ensure a higher germination rate (of at least 80% ) and ensure 
that seeds are of a good density. Thirdly, the use of seed -treatment chemicals would protect the 
seedlings for between 40 to 50 days from mites, insects etc. This was also good for t he crop because 
farmers d id not need to spray early in the season. And finally,  if seeds  were delinted , machine 
planting could be used, whereas fuzzy seeds would get stuck in the machine. So by treating seed s 
with nicotinoids, fungicides and bio fertiliser s, not only could germination rates be increased,  but 
more importantly the sustainability and profitability to farmer s would also increase significantly and 
allow to reduce  relevant variable costs . 
3.9.  He further  suggested another method to improve sustainabil ity, focussing on the Harvest 
Index. The Harvest Index  was given by the p roportion of harvestable yield versus the total biomass  
of the plant (e.g.  if there are two plants , both taking equal amounts of nutrients from the soil , one 
produces 17% of its weigh t in bolls and the other 45% ). In the example, he added, t he former plant 
would be typical of Africa and the la tter would be typical of the US and Australia; both plants would 
be taking the same inputs  from the soil , but the outputs  would be different beca use in  the former 
the harvest index was  0.17 and in the latter 0.45. He noted that for the US it took 80 years to go 
from 0.2 to 0.4  harvest index  through plant breeding.  For China, it  took 15 years.  He added that 
ICAC research  attested to poorer harvest indexes in Asia and Africa, with bad performances in terms 
of sustainability  as natural resources  were being underutilized , in particular soil and water resources. 
As a consequence,  improving the Harvest Index  in these countries  would  not only curb the wastage 
of natural resources and reduce the use of inputs and chemicals , but also increase yields . 
3.10.   For improving the Harvest Index, ICAC recommend ed that Asia n and Africa n farmers  channel 
the nutrients of a cotton plant by removing  the monopodial branches , which are the most inefficient.  TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  China, for instance,  remove s these  branches  manually.  So, he noted that a n efficient plant  was a 
plant that ha d a stem and only fruiting branches , therefore  reaching a high  harvest index.   
3.11.   He furthe r explained  that if the plant lost  a boll due to insects, poor sunlight etc ., then the 
plant started  to grow vegetative branches from the bottom. It could not  grow taller because it took  
more effort for the nutrients to  reach  the top of the plant.  It was easier for the plant to channel the 
nutrients to the bottom , on the vegetative branches . These vegetative branches gre w bolls and 
leaves random ly, unlike on fruiting branches where bolls grow every six days on each branch.  By 
removing these vegetative or monopodial branches , the harvest index  would  increase.  He recall ed 
that Australia and Uzbekistan ha d selectively bred the plant to produce zero monopodial branches. 
The US ha d two or three monopodial branches , which  explained  their lower yields.   
3.12.   He add ed that a farmer could also use  growth regulators , as is done in  Brazil , or operate these 
practices  by hand as  was done  in China.  By doing this , a farmer would improv e the Harvest Index 
and curb the wastage of natural resources  while reducing  the use of ch emicals.  
3.13.   He then emphasized  that the introduction of hybrid  seeds  in Africa was detrimental . He 
explained that hybrids ha d the highest number of monopodial branches , so the Harvest Index was 
very low. As a result, there w ould be wastage of natural resources and increased dependence on 
synthetic fertilizers and water. He explained that the recommended amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, 
and potassium ( NPR) synthetic fertilizers for varieties  was 60:30:30, for indigenous c otton 
was 40:20:20, and for hybrids was 120:60:60. So, for every 60  kg of nitrogen one use d to grow 
varieties one need ed 120 kg to grow hybrids. He noted that  hybrids  were being introduced in Africa 
on the back of a promise that yields w ould increase to anywhere up to 4000  kg of seed cotton per 
hectare , which is the equivalent of approximately 1500  kg per hectare of cotton lint , which was not 
accredited information . 
3.14.   He stated  that there  were even  more pressing concerns about the introduction of hybrids into 
African c ountries. Apart from Egypt, Sudan and South Africa,  which use d irrigation, cotton production 
in every other country in Africa was rain fed. These hybrids need ed significant amounts  of water and  
were only suitable for irrigated areas , not for rain fed areas . This increase in water  use mean t in 
turn that leaves would be  juicier,  thus more liable to be attacked by  insects and as a result  needed 
increased use of pesticides . 
3.15.   Apart from the above concerns , he add ed that hybrid seeds  were more expensive than 
conventional seeds , because of the laborious method of seed hybridization every year. The cost of 
a conventional hybrid seed was generally three  to four times  higher  than that of a conventional seed. 
Genetically modified hybrid seeds c osted 50-100 USD  per hectare. In addition, the farmer w ould 
need to buy these seeds every year. Hybrid seed production was also cumbersome and unsustainable 
because it require d manual labour to crossbreed  seeds . He noted that h ybrids  could  give high yields  
initially , with intensive use of  water and fertilizers , but yields would  start stagnating generally after 
four or five years , by which time the land w ould have been drained of  nutrients.  He ensured that 
data from the use of hybrids in other countries  unequivocally supported these statements .  
3.16.   He then addressed issues related to the use of fertilizers, highlight ing that the use of fertilisers 
is low in Africa,  with some land locked countries such as Malawi and Mali unable to import or produce 
synthetic fert ilisers. He added that a cotton plant takes from the soil in general primary nutrients 
such as NPR, as well as secondary nutrients such as Calcium, Magnesium and Sulphur , and 
micronutrients  such as Boron, Zinc, Manganese, Cobalt, Chlorine, Nickel , etc. These  would all be 
taken from the soil itself and  coupled by CO2 taken  from the air.  The fib re, however, was  surprisingly  
composed mostly of  Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen.  The fib re therefore was made from air and 
water  – as a consequence, if everything other  than the fibre were put back in the soil, the nutrients 
would be replac ed and soil productivity restored.  In that connection, he highlighted concerns  related 
to the post -harvest uprooting  and burning of plants in Africa and India, often due to  national laws  
requiring that  farmers burn the stalks to  avert the risk of disease s and pests,  particularly  the pink 
bollworm. He suggested that the easier and best alternative would be to cut the plants  and leave 
them on the soil, letting it rot with reins and allowing for the soil nutrients to be restored.   
3.17.   He noted that in Africa and Asia the wastage of stalks was around 50 million ton nes: 12 million 
in Africa, 31.5 million in India,  and 6.2 million to nnes in Pakistan.  Considering the price of buying 
stalks at the very lowest price of about 10  USD a tonne, then these countries  would be  burning  at TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  least 500  million  USD per season . ICAC , however , recommend ed that in Africa farmers  prioritize the  
use of stalks as organic fertilizers . 
3.18.   Turning to natural pest control s, he stressed  that insect pests could eat the crop but there 
were insects that could eat insect pests. This was called  "naturally occurring biological control ". 
Nature was abundant with such predators  that started building early in the season by feeding on 
sucking pests and c ould continue to thrive all season -long so that they could  control bollworms and 
other caterpillar pests appearing  later in the season.  
3.19.   He warned tha t one bad pesticide spray early in the season c ould spoil entire harvests . Sadly,  
he said,  instead of educating farmers on the importance of biological control s, farmers were told to 
apply broad spectrum insecticides early in the season. This destroy ed biological control s to a point 
of no-return. One hazardous chemical spray was enough to wipe out predators. In the absence of 
biological control s, farmers applied  repeated applications of insecticides only to ravage the 
ecosystems.  In so doing, f armers  would not only  destroy natural control s but also waste 60 -80% of 
insecticides due to improper application methods.  ICAC thus strongly  recommend ed that farmers be 
educated on the precious value of natural  pest control s. There were numerous simple tec hniques 
that ha d been developed to conserve naturally occurring biological control s with least dependence 
on chemical pesticides which could  be used late r in the season , only if necessary.  
3.20.   In his concluding remarks, Mr. Hughes  stated that it  was critical to respect and use  natural 
resources for sustainable and profitable cotton production. ICAC firmly believe d that a breakthrough 
in Africa and parts of Asia was possible by following simple steps to conserve these four sets of 
natural resources and us e them to enhance yields in a sustainable manner.  
3.21.   The representative of Benin emphasized  that seed research was very important in order to 
develop resilient  varieties. He added that the use of cotton stalks was another important area  bearing 
growth potential. He  further recommend ed that research , through local research hubs in Africa , be 
upgraded and focused on  soil conservation and resilience, seed research , use of  water resources and 
every other  subject  concerning the  sustainability of the  cotton industry.  He highlighted that  
increasing  yields was  a major problem face d by the  cotton sector. He added that , in Benin,  increase s 
in cotton production were only due to planted area expansion, and that the soils in which they 
cultivate d cotton ha d very little organic matter  left, therefore  needing more external inputs . He 
suggested that increasing  organic matter in soil s was the first step, also  working on the PH levels of 
the soil and mak ing it less acidic.  
3.22.   On the issue of using stalks for compost , he added that usually the degradation of stalks by 
the micr oorganisms took  time;  hence farmers fou nd it easier to burn them. However, using stalks 
to inc rease organic matter in soils should be encouraged and adopted. He mentioned a project on 
cotton stal ks that ha d been implemented in  Benin and Togo, aimed at using stalks to  produce pallets 
and compost to enrich the soil , with very positive results to date and a potential for replication . This 
project  had been running for the  previous  three years  and look ed suitable to be upgraded and 
expanded .  
3.23.   With respect to hybrid seeds, he concurred with ICAC in noting that these  seeds  were not 
only expensive, but also  able to  create dependency  in producers .  
3.24.   The representative Burkina Faso  recalled that a workshop on  making  cotton production more 
dynamic  was organised  in Burkina Faso in Feb ruary  2019. He mentioned that Burkina  Faso had 
experienced drop in cotton production  levels during  two consecutive years and one of the main 
reasons for this drop was the quality of seeds. As a result, better seeds  were provided to farmers 
and this subsequently increase d production in 2018 -2019. He also mentioned that  in the C4 region 
hybrid seeds were not  being  used. However, this topic had been discussed .  
3.25.   The representative of Chad  took the floor  to report that the cotton sector in Chad was doing 
comparatively well with the partial privatization that ha d been introduced. He informed  the audience 
that a Singaporean company ha d injected funds and was worki ng in the cotton sector. All this was 
leading them to experience an increase in production and a significant return of farmers to cotton 
production , with over 280 million hectares of cotton planted in 2019 and the project ed production  
for 2020 -2021 also en couraging. He emphasized that there exist ed major challenges with respect 
to infrastructure, and other constraint s for landlocked countries like Chad. He asked the  TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  ICAC representative if and whether they ha d investigated cost issues faced by the land locked 
countries. Secondly,  he asked  the formula used by ICAC for calculating an adequate price , and if 
ICAC ha d already  had a close look at methods of  price calculation which should also address the 
problem of e xchange rate fluctuation s. 
3.26.   The representative of Mali  noted  that ICAC's presentation was very comprehensive and  
informative in respect of the global  developments in the cotton sector. He further focused on  two 
aspect s: firstly, with respect to the use of h ybrid seeds in  the future by African nations, he stated 
that as they depend ed heavily on rainfall for irrigation , hybrid seeds  would not be viable ; secondly,  
he welcomed all the recommendations  made by ICAC to  encourage the use of natural  pest control  
methods and expressed the hope that  these issues be further  discussed . He further added  that these 
recommendations truly match ed the context in which they live d and more information and training 
on these issues would be of great  interest to  Malian cotton produ cers.  
3.27.   The representative of Mozambique  said that  ICAC's presentation was very informative . She 
further suggested  that capacity building  and training were needed on these issues, and that  some 
other countries in Africa should share their knowledge , thus benefitting all the cotton producing 
countries. Based on the information shared by ICAC, she request ed development cooperation  
partners to  facilitate access to t his information and resources for  Mozambique , in cooperation 
with ICAC.  
3.28.   The representative  of UNCATD  echoed the comments made by Benin. He addressed in 
particular  the issue of using stalks  as fertilizers, mentioning that there could be various  ways to 
convert st alks into fertilizers, such as  using microbial processes to create compost. He  asked  ICAC 
as to research  conducted to  compare various  ways of converting st alks into fertilizers with respect 
to the cost of production, nutritive value of the fertilizer and  positive impacts in terms of  yields.  
3.29.   The representative of ICAC  replied  to the vario us questions raised , firstly  by noting that  most 
African countries ha d not  yet conducted up dated  soil surveys. He further added that  such surveys 
were available from ICAC.  Moreover , he stated that it was possible to obtain  higher yields without 
using hybrid seeds , citing the example of  Turkey. He stated that , by following the suggestions  made 
in his presentation, African countries  could  at least double their  cotton  yields. In his reply  to the 
representative of Chad on the influence of private sec tor engagement in Chad, he informed that he 
would have met with OLAM I nternational in Chad for any future information sharing. He further 
added that ICAC was in parallel  looking into various price  construction  mechanisms used in Africa 
and making a study on that subject , with a view to reporting on its findings at one of the future 
WTO cotton days . In reply to the representative of Mali, the representative of ICAC clarified that the 
topic of hybrid seeds being used by African nations was raised only as a po tential danger , as around 
five countries in east Africa ha d introduced or  were considering to introduc e hybrid seeds.  Finally , 
in reply to Mozambique, he noted that ICAC had held a seed development course in Mozambique 
in July 2019 , which was successful ; he further reported that a project proposal was in the pipeline, 
aiming at delivering  seed development training s in Africa as well as  developing seed develop ment 
laboratories.  
3.30.   The Chair 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 sector , highly relevant to  DGCFMC discussions . He further thanked 
the focal points from the C4 for attending th e meeting  from capital  and actively participating in 
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 Chair introduced Item 4 of the agenda by recalling  that the latest version of the Evolving 
Table on Cotton Development Assistance ("ET") was contained in the document WT/CFNC/6/ Rev.27 
and had been  circulated on 11 November  2019. He asked Mr.  Fabrizio Meliadò  of the Agriculture  and 
Commodities Division to highlight the main points of this updated version . 
4.2.  Mr. Fabrizio Meliadò  of the WTO Secretariat  took the floor to provide an update on the revision 
of the ET. He recalled that  the structure of the Evolving Table had  three major parts : first, all notified  
cotton -specific projects funded by various  members of the  development community ; second , all TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  notified a ctive projects on agriculture and infrastructure -related activities affect ing the cotton sector  
directly or indir ectly;  and third, the contact details of national cotton focal points , which we re 
important as  possible  entry point s for people who want to do business with a specific country.  He 
highlighted that this updated information was regularly reported on Cotton P ortal 
(https://www.cottonportal.org/cotton ), where it appear ed in interactive format in English and in 
French.  He also noted that the ET included two annexes listing all completed projects previously 
notified to the WTO, which was important for statistical and analytical purposes.   
4.3.  He further explained  that the  ET had a number of columns listing the names of the donors and 
members of the development community, the title s of projects , program mes and activit ies, the value 
of committed amounts expressed either in US D or in Euros, the operational status of the given 
projects listed in the ET, the amounts  of disbursements as notified to the WTO Secretariat and lastly , 
the name  or names  of beneficiar y countries  to a specific project.  
4.4.  The latest revision of the  ET was based on  updates received from  Australia, Brazil,  the 
European  Union,  France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey and , in terms of international 
organi zations, the  ITC, UNCTAD and UNIDO. He noted  that in the latest revision of the ET  five new 
projects ha d been notified under part  1 (cotton -specific) , by the EU, France, Germany, Italy and  
the EIF.  
4.5.  With respect to the trends in commitments, he displayed the  trend in  commit ted resources  for 
cotton -specific projects  over the previous  eight revisions of the  ET, with the latest amount recorded 
being  247 million US D. He also discussed part  2 of the ET , stating that it had a wider scope as it 
included  agriculture  and infrastructure related project s, thus the committed amounts recorded in 
part 2 were much higher .  
4.6.  As a follow up on the discussions held in the  DGCFMC in 2019 , the Secretariat had taken note 
of various suggestions made to wards  mainstream ing information on project effectiveness into the  
current structure of the  ET. He informed that the WTO Secretariat  was also working on a more 
structured database list ing the trends in the ET from its beginnings until recently.  
4.7.  The representative of  Mali lauded the Secretariat for  the efforts  made to put together the  latest 
revision of the  ET. He thanked all those who provided information to update the table. He stated 
that there ha d been an evolution in the amount s of disbursement and the total number of projects 
had also moved up  from 27 to 28 in part  1. He added that there were two more projects which w ould 
soon be  formulated and integrated in the ET. With respect to part  2 of the ET , he recalled that 
25 countries were now receiving assistance for agriculture  and infrastructure -related development  
assistance,  and that the total amount of aid went  up by  5.32%. On behalf of the C4, he stressed 
that access to markets  for agricultur al product s require d relevant  infrastructure  and services; in 
addition, he stressed the importance of bu ilding capacity and know -how and of  the sharing of good 
practices. He further thanked the bilateral, regi onal and multilateral partners for their inputs to 
the ET.  
4.8.  The Chair thanked all who had provided inputs to the ET. He further paid tribute to the donor 
community for their engagement and commitment in providing update s to the ET, and  noted that 
while the numbers recorded in the latest version of the  ET were encouraging, the ways in which the 
involvement of the developmen t community could be broadened and deepen ed, as contributions to 
the cotton sector  were not limited to the numbers reported in the  ET, but rather to the extent  and 
depth of individual  projects, their effectiveness, and their ability to ultimately empower l ocal actors 
to independently develop their cotton value chains.  
4.9.  He strongly encourag ed beneficiaries to share the contact details of their national cotton focal 
points, to be reported in Part III of the  ET. He further proposed that the Consultative Mechani sm 
take note of all the statements made.  It was so agreed.  
5  SOUTH -SOUTH COTTON C OOPERATION  
5.1.   The Chair introduced Item 5 by acknowledg ing the important contributions of Brazil, China, 
India and Pakistan on the platform of South -South cooperation  and opened t he floor for any 
delegation wishing  to provide update s on relevant programmes . TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  5.2.  The representative of Brazil  confirmed the  commitment to continue serving as  a reliable partner 
in the provision of assistance to cotton producers in the developing world. In this regard, h e informed 
that Brazil had five projects on national cotton cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean 
countries and with  Africa. Three of  these projects were  updated in the current version of  the ET . 
5.3.  He further informed that the initiative called "Market Outlets for Cotton by -products in Africa"  
and the project on small -scale producers and public institutions in selected African countries were 
the same project and asked the Secretariat to change this in the next version of the ET. He further 
informed  that the fifth project undertaken by Brazil, called "Improved Effectiveness and 
Transparency of Pesticides Registration System " with some Latin -American and Caribbean countries  
had a value of 6 million USD, from which  68,000 USD had already been disburse d. 
5.4.  The representative of India congratulat ed all the partners  for the success of WCD. She  noted 
that India ha d been engaging meaningfully in  support of  both the agriculture as well as the textile 
portions  of the cotton value chain in Africa. In the context of South -South cooperation, s he added 
that India implemented a cotton technical assistance  program me in six African countries , namely 
Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda, worth 2.8 million  USD over a period of 
seven  years , from 2012 -2018.  
5.5.  She further stressed that this program me was announced at the second India -Africa summit 
in 2011 and  that it was  divided in  two components : first, training and capacity building exercises on 
various aspects related to cotton production, post -harvest  techniques  and value addition. Almost 
2000 African farmers, scientists, government officials and industry representatives  received  training 
on how to enhance cotton production through the use of better agronomic practices ; second , the 
creation of infrastructure related to the cotton value chain,  which  included  the setting up of a modern 
ginning unit in Benin, skill -enhancement  centre s for apparel manufacturing in Nigeria and Malawi,  
and a bio -pesticide laboratory in Uganda.  
5.6.  At the Partners ' Conference , held during WCD , India announced its decision to launch a second 
phase of  this cotton technical assistance program me, based on the su ccess of  phase 1. In phase 2, 
this program me would be scaled up in size and coverage , thus reaching out to five  additional 
countries : Ghana,  Mali, Togo, Zambia and Tanzania.  This program me would cover a total of 
11 African countries , including the C4 , and  would be  implemented over a period of five years . It 
would  focus on increasing cotton production  and improving the post -harvest  and residue -based 
industr ies in the participating countries ; it would also address  capacity  building for  the 
cotton -to-textile sector in  relevant  countries.  
5.7.  She further announced that India w ould have  share d data regarding this new program me with 
the Secretariat for incorporation in the  next revision of the  ET. She added that India granted  
duty-free access t o all cotton imports from LDCs and cotton imports from LDCs made up nearly one 
quarter of India's total cotton imports in 2017. This , she stressed,  was significantly higher than the 
world average for cotton imports from LDCs. She concluded by stating that India was committed to 
consolidating the  long-standing development partnership with Africa,  especially in  relation to cotton.  
5.8.  The representative of  Burkina Faso  emphasized the importance of item 5 of 
the DGCFMC  agenda and thanked China, India and  Brazil for the ir contributions  to the success  of 
WCD. He further thanked all  South-South cooperation  partners  for sharing their views and 
experiences and contributions at the Partners ' Conference held during WCD launch . He stated that  
the C4 ha d monitored  the results of the activities undertaken by their  development  partners and 
they were satisfied with the  relevant  developments. He stressed the need to continue with 
consultation to decide the ways in which partners could  invest in the Cotton Roadmap Project . In 
this connection, h e renewed the  C4 call for broadening the scope of cooperation and invite d partners 
to support the implementation of  broad projects at  the regional and national level s, such as 
the WTO-UNCTAD -ITC project on cotton by -products , which was a key operational component of 
the Cotton Roadmap Project .  
5.9.  The representative of  Mali expressed gratitude to India, China, Brazil and  Pakistan for 
supporting the C4 in the implementation of specific projects.  TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  5.10.   The representative of  Benin  extended his gratitude  to all the partners , especially Brazil and 
India,  involved in the announcements and contributions in  favour of  cotton development  assistance 
programmes .  
5.11.   The representative of Mozambique  also tha nked partners and added that Mozambique 
encourage d them to continue supporting her country for cotton data collection , increasing production 
and relevant poverty alleviation initiatives .  
5.12.   The Chair thanked all the delegations who took the floor to share in formation and details on 
their cooperation programmes. These updates, he stressed, would enhance implementation and 
reinforce South -South cooperation on cotton. He also encouraged deve loping countries to continue 
strengthen ing South -South cooperation on co tton and recalled that the contributions made by 
participants were recorded and given official recognition, particularly through the Evolving Table as 
well as the Periodic Reports on Cotton Development Assistance prepared each year under the  direct  
respons ibility of the Director General . He proposed that the DGCFMC take note of the statement s 
made. It was so agreed.  
6  COTTON DEVELOPMENT A SSISTANCE PROJECTS  
6.1.  The Chair introduced agenda Item 6 by underscor ing that the inclusion of this Item responded 
to a request  filed by  the C4 more than two years before , and constitute d a major improvement  to 
the work of the Consultat ive Mechanism. He added that  discussions under this item also respond ed 
to Ministerial Mandates  on cotton formulated in Nair obi (2015) and Bali (2013) .  
6.2.  He noted that  Item 6 was a new element of qualitative project analysis that fully 
complement ed, complete d, and buil t upon the quantitative exercise of project reporting and 
information sharing done through the regular updates o f the  ET, thus fostering increased 
transparency and enhanced cooperation between development cooperation partners.  
6.3.  He announced that there w ould be  a total of four presentations  under item 6:  one intervention 
by the C4 on the Cotton Roadmap Project  (WT/CFM C/W/73 ), as well as on any other project s the C4 
wishe d to put forward ; an intervention by the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific  (ACP) 
Group on the Pan -African Cotton Investment Programme (PACIP)  (WT/CFMC/W/74 -01 
and WT/CFMC/W/74 -02), which  was entering the implementation phase ; one presentation on new 
projects by the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH – The Netherlands) and finally, the periodic  update 
by the WTO Secretariat on the advancement of the cotton by -products  (CBP)  project. He finally  
noted  that, in the absence of objections to that effect,  all the presentations  of the day  would be 
made available online through the dedicated webpages of the WTO  Cotton Days, as well as through 
the official press release of the meetin g. 
6.4.  The representative of Benin  recalled that the C4 had designed  the Cotton Roadmap 
Project  (WT/CFMC/W/73 ) to holistically support the cotton sector, cotton textiles, fabrics and cotton 
by-products  through country - and sector -specific programmes under a co mmon  and synergic 
regional framework . This project  focused also on  research, cotton  promotion  campaigns and 
activities related to equipment and infrastructure  development and modernization, including through 
technology transfer . The project was  in its init ial phase s; it was designed to  last for four years and 
required investments and aid worth at least 20 million Euros . He recalled that the C4 had already in 
previous sessions identified a few  country -specific  projects , which  would have been  shortly  
submitted to the Secretariat for circulation .  
6.5.  He further updated participants on new  cotton projects  under the umbrella of the Cotton 
Roadmap Project , namely: an  agricultural  transition project in Benin and two other projects that 
would be submitted by  Burkina Faso on  development of organic cotton and on support for the 
empowerment of the women who work in cotton  processing. He recalled the two agronomic projects 
presented by Mali in past meetings of the DGCFMC and noted that Chad also was preparing new  
information on its projects. All these projects, together with the WTO -UNCTAD -ITC project on 
by-products development, were conceived as operational components of the broader Cotton 
Roadmap Project.  
6.6.  He added that all these projects  responded to real and pres sing need  related to  production, 
stalk processing , quality of soil and other aspects of value addition. Lastly, he stressed th e TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  importance of investing in cotton by -products , an area where the C4 already had expertise and 
production at the infant stages of  development for products such as  cotton edible oil, cotton 
medicinal oil, cotton seed meal  cakes, furniture, green fertilizers and stalks.  
6.7.  The representative of  ICAC commented that  the projects undertaken by the C4 on cotton stalk s 
and soil health focused  on introducing organic matter back into the soil,  and noted that these  project s 
were extremely important and could build on ICAC's work in the same area . He added that the 
project on new cotton varieties was also something that ICAC  was looking forward to as it was an 
extremely relevant  area for several Africa n countries . He noted the importance of assessing the 
current situation of seed varieties in Afri ca as a first step to wards  proper  benchmarking  of any  
interventions. He finally highlighted  that ICAC f ound the project on organic cotton  very interesting , 
too, as this area was particularly  subject to  misinformation and misunderstanding s.  
6.8.  The representat ive of  UNCTAD  requested more information on the C otton  Roadmap Project  by 
the C4 and  expressed interest in discussing how they intend ed to integrate  the project on stalks  in 
the joint-project  on cotton by -products coordinated by WTO-ITC-UNCTAD.  
6.9.  The repres entative of ITC recalled that there were projects in which ITC was cooperating  with 
the C4. He noted  that o ne possible application for  cotton st alks had been highlighted by ICAC , and 
under the WTO -UNCTAD -ITC initiative on cotton by -products  other possib le applications could be 
evaluated  in each country . Moreover, he noted that  ITC was running a  program me with Burkina Faso 
for handloom development  of specific interest for the empowerment of women . He further suggest ed 
that this program me could be ex panded , noting that there was  room for having more handloom 
products by women.  
6.10.   The Chair then invited the second speaker , the representative of  the ACP Secretariat,  to share 
information on recent developments related to the Pan -African Cotton Investment 
Programme  (PACIP)  (WT/CFMC/W/74 -01 and WT/CFMC/W/74 -02). The Chair was pleased to note 
that this was the third time for th e DGCFMC  to host a presentation by the ACP Secretariat.  
6.11.   The representative of the ACP Secretariat  shared information about the policy context within 
which PACIP was situated. ACP's past approach was to  design  commodit y-specific program mes, such 
as: Banana Accompanying Measures ; Accompanying measures for Sugar Protocol Countries ; Sugar 
Research Programme ; and the  EU/Africa Partners hip on cotton. Due to  various  limitations , they 
adopted a new approach in 2017, which focus ed on promotion of value  chains as opposed to 
commodity -specific support to empower more farmers , especially family farmers, SMEs, processors , 
women and youth. This new approach was based on  four pillars : Finance; Capacity Building; Trade 
and Investment ; and Climate Change.  
6.12.   He added that PACIP  was designed  in 2017 as the follow up to the ACP -EU Cotton  Partnership 
Programme that came to an end in November 2017 . The ai m of PACIP was  to promote sustainable 
development of African cotton value chains and to respond to the challenges faced by the cotton 
sector , for example the need for value addition, improved competitiveness and market integration. 
He underline d that the  substantive focus of PACIP activities was on three  areas: cotton production; 
investment s in the processing of cotton  and its by -products ; and capacity building for institutions 
and professional organi zations.  
6.13.   He announced that the  ACP Group intended to  strengthen and coordinate research  on 
biological pest control s, as discussed by ICAC under item 3, as well as better  access to inputs and 
sustainable technological innovation for soil conservation. In the area of processing, funds  would 
have been availabl e for conducting  feasibility studies as well as  infrastructure  quality  benchmarking . 
Under the track of institutional capacity building, ACP was looking at promoting conferences, 
exchange programmes as well as development o f regional training centres in S ub-Saharan Africa 
and in other ACP countries. PACIP would  be implemented through two main actions under 
the ACP Private Sector Development Programme  and the Business Friendly and Value Chains 
component s. Collaboration with ITC was ongoing  to implement these  components of the programme 
in Sub-Saharan Africa.  
6.14.   He further reported  that the ACP Group was  finalizing the action document with the EU for 
Agriculture Value Chains development through the attraction of investments, with the intention to 
launch this docu ment in 2020. The other two related initiatives undertaken by the ACP Group  were TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  the Agri Business Fund (AB F), worth 45 million euros in  investment s target ing smallholder farmers 
and farmer  organizations; and the  ACP Countries Programm e, worth 40 million e uros and aiming at  
support ing ACP farmer  organi zations  to provide beneficial services and influen ce policy dialogue. 
ACP would  be implementing this  project  jointly with  the International Fund for Agriculture 
Development  (IFAD). 
6.15.   The representative of the  EU thanked the ACP Secretariat for their presentation and 
congratulated the WTO Secretariat on the successful launch of WCD. She reaffirmed that the EU 
would  continue to engage in further  discussions  and hope d to take part in the next  edition of WCD .  
6.16.   The representative of Benin  thanked the ACP for the excellent presentation covering  the 
synergies between  the C4 and the ACP on cotton.  
6.17.   The Chair thanked all the previous sp eakers and moved on to the subsequent presentation 
on the agenda, giving the floor to the representative of the Netherlands to briefly introduce the IDH 
- Sustainable Trade I nitiative supported by the Netherlands.  
6.18.    The representative of the Netherlands  explained that  IDH was founded in 2011 a s a public -
private partnership convenor bringing together companies, civil society organi zations, governments 
and other  key sustainable development actors . IDH work ed towards  changing business practices, 
improving secto r governance and creating field level change to  obtain  a direct  positive  impact on  
the SDGs. He added that IDH ha d received  support by multiple European governments and  was 
active in  12 different sectors, including  important agricultur al sectors  such as  tea, coffee, palm oil, 
cocoa and cotton. As outlined in the  ET, the Netherlands , through IDH , contribute d to cotton -specific 
projects  worth  16.5 million euros in the  period  2016-2020. 
6.19.   Ms Ruchira Joshi, Senior Manager of IDH , made a presentation  on various initiatives promoted 
by IDH . She underlined that IDH was a convenor  and catalyser  of support, working with NGOs, 
companies, governments and other partners in public -private partnerships to solve critical 
sustainability challenges . She said that  their interventions in the cotton supply chains  were made 
possible by the generous contribution of the Netherlands, the Danish  Development C ooperation  
Agency (DANIDA ) and the Swiss Development  Cooperation  Agenc y (SECO) .  
6.20.   She highlighted two key interventions  that the Netherlands was implementing through IDH:  
the Better Cotton Growth and Innovation Fund  (hereinafter "the Fund") ; and the Mozambique 
Climate Resilience Program me.  
6.21.   About the  Better Cotton Growth and Innovation Fund , she  explained that this Fund was  
capitalized through the contributions of  both private  and institutional donors . The brands who 
source d responsible  cotton contribute d by paying a fee called volume -based fee for every ton of 
better cotton purchased . These fund s would then be used to support  farmer s' capacity building  
activities. Examples of the latter could be found in  China, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Mali, and 
Mozambique.  
6.22.   She added that th e Fund was  one of the first business models linking those who are benefi tting 
the most from sustainable cotton production. When IDH initiated the Fund  in 2010, the proportion 
of financing coming  from IDH and other public donors was  almost one -to-one with retailers and 
brands. Over the years, IDH's contribution to th e Fund ha d dropped from 50% in 2010 to 12% in 
2018.  
6.23.   She illustrated IDH's second intervention:  the Mozambique Climate Resilience Program me. 
She explained that in Mozambique, IDH wished  to use the base of Better Cotton  Initiative (BCI) 
certified  farmers  to assess  the critical challenges they  were facing , including  pesticide application , 
water use , irregular rainfall patterns, overdependence on maize, lower food security and limited  
access to information.  This comprehensive  approach was aimed at  increas ing farmers ' overall  
livelihood resilience by providing them with access to inputs , knowledge and alternat ive activities . 
6.24.   She further informed that in Mozambique, IDH worked in partnership with four private sector 
partners (Olam, Plexus, San JFS and Sanam) and with ex perts from Action for Food Production 
(AFPRO) . IDH developed water harvesting and water conservation structures to increase access to 
water, improve soil moisture, enhance ground water quality, and improve irrigation in five villages TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  across Niassa, Nampula  and Cabo Delg ado. In combination with training on good agricultural 
practices, beneficiaries were leveraging the additional water to grow second crops and engage in 
animal husbandry activities for alternative livelihood opportunities.  
6.25.   In terms of  next ste ps, she highlighted that IDH would  continue to drive demand on a global 
scale across the entire cotton  downstream industry, seek further innovations for new funding models 
and new service delivery models to achieve more cost -efficient, scalable, and sustai nable farming 
systems.  
6.26.   The Chair highlighted that this presentation was delivered  in connection with a notification by 
The Netherlands of new active projects in Part I of the Evolving Table , and lauded this practice as 
transparency enhancing .  
6.27.   The represe ntative of  Benin  appreciate d the work undertaken  by IDH  in sustainable and fair 
trade  through  public -private partnership s.  
6.28.   The representative of Mali  noted that there were very valuable fields of intervention in  IDH 
project s. He highlighted the fact that there were around 2 -3 million beneficiar y farmers  in 21 
countries. He added that Mali was very happy with the developments presented by IDH and 
welcomed th ese initiative s.  
6.29.   The representative of Mozambique  commented that the expectations on cotton were 
enormous and continuously increasing  in her country . She added that all presentations were valuable 
and timely  with a view to dedicating  more attention on all matters related to cotton and its 
development s. She added that Mozamb ique welcome d partner s' assistan ce as part of their on -going 
effort s towards  a better future and achievement of the sustainable development goals. The current 
engagement of her government involve d reformulation of strategies to synchronise agriculture with  
trade and  other  plans for the next year s. The project that was supported by  the Netherlands was  
one of the most important to the country  with a  view to provid ing farmers with the  ability to d evelop 
the sector, improve livelihoods  and reduce po verty. Mozambique extended its  gratitude  to all the 
partners  supporting the project  presented by IDH .  
6.30.   The Chair thanked Ms Ruchiara Joshi  and The Netherlands for their support and noted that 
this was the first time for them to make a present ation at th e DGCFMC. He then moved on to the 
fourth presentation under item 6 and called upon the WTO Secretariat to provide the periodic update 
on the advancement of the project "Technology transfer for the development of cotton by -products 
in eight pilot  LDCs", which had started in July 2019 thanks to a grant by the Enhanced Integrated 
Framework  (EIF) and was being coordinated by the WTO in close consultation with UNCTAD and ITC.  
He further noted that this project ha d also been included in the Evolving Ta ble. He recalled that at 
the 7 June workshop on cotton by -products, organized jointly by the WTO -UNCTAD and ITC, 
Members stressed the clear need to make a detailed assessment of the challenges hindering the 
potential of Cotton By -Products' (CBPs) developme nt in LDCs,  to generate sustainable growth, jobs 
and benefits, particularly for farmers and other vulnerable upstream actors in the relevant value 
chains.  
6.31.   He further recalled that  this nee d had been discussed  at the Partners ' Conference , held on 7 
October as part of the WTO Launch of WCD. At that occasion, the representatives of Benin, Burkina 
Faso, Chad, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia all made remarkable 
calls for further work supporting CBP development.  He noted that those cal ls were heard by 
ambassadors and high -level officials from Brazil, China, the European Union, India, as well as the 
Agence Française de Développement  (AFD) and the EIF, who engaged to accompany project 
development work and ultimately support project implem entation.  
6.32.   He concluded his introduction by mention ing that the analytics supporting work in this area 
were solid, as reported by ICAC: "cottonseed by -products have growing markets and are potentially 
an important complementary source of revenue for the co tton sector in Africa". He then invited  the 
WTO Secretariat  to provide a brief update on the state of advancement of the project and relevant 
future developments .  
6.33.   The WTO Secretariat  recalled that cotton by -products could  be divided in  two broad 
categories : (i) the by -products coming from the ginning process ; and (ii) the by -products coming TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  from the plant itself (from the stalks). A cluster of valuable derivative products  could  be obtained 
from each of these parts of the plant and from each of these processes. For example , edible  oil could 
be extracted from cottonseeds , with very important properties that ma de it as  suitable  as other 
vegetable oils  for human consumption and food processing . In the case of stalks, a variety of 
products c ould be obtained like compost, organic fertilizers, briquettes, pallets, preparation for pulp 
and craft paper, hard boards , and  a substrate to grow  edible mushrooms. These products were 
already being produced at a commercial scale by other cotton producing countries around the word, 
such as Brazil, China,  the USA and Turkey. All these countries had shared success stories from their 
experiences of transformation of CBPs and relevant marketing outcomes  at a WTO meeting 
on 7 June 2019, which coincided with the beginning of the WTO -UNCTAD -ITC project funded by 
the EIF. 
6.34.   The challenges hinder ing the ability of African countries to reap the benefits of by -products ' 
processing  were both generic challenges affecting the development of  value -added agric ultural 
products,  as well as CBP-specific c hallenges , such as raw material availability and availability of 
efficient technologies and know -how. With these challenges in mind,  Members had asked the WTO , 
UNCTAD  and ITC to join forces at the end of 2018 for a joint initiative on cotton by -products , an 
umbrella mechanism with country specific features to support the efforts of LDCs to develop 
by-products from the cotton plant and to process  them locally.  
6.35.   This initiative evolved into a consultative process with benefic iaries, donors and members of 
the international community to devise a project that would be comprehensive and tailored to the 
reality of each beneficiary country.  The project had thus  started with a small grant by the  EIF to 
conduct feasibility studies in 8 African LDCs producing cotton but not exploiting the full potential 
offered by the processing of the plant in all its parts.  
6.36.   At the Partners' Conference on  7 October  2019, the project moved from technical discussion s 
to political statements of support by  key players,  with the ultimate goal of hammering out  a 
Ministerial Action P lan to be discussed at the May 2020 WTO cotton meetings and officially adopted 
at the ministerial level  at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference ( MC12 ). 
6.37.   The representative of Benin  thanked the partner international organi zations for launching the 
cotton by -products project . He added that this project w ould enable them to achieve the objectives 
outlined in the  Bamako  program me and they further called upon  the WTO Secretariat  and other 
partner organi zations to work on the planned actions. They also called upon donors  to provide the 
necessary financial support  to implement this project.  
6.38.   The representative of China  recalled that China would  continue to support South-South 
cooperation  and that China was ready to support  the development of cotton by -products in Africa . 
6.39.   The representative of Mozambique  thanked the international organi zations for this project and 
expressed Mozambique's enthusiasm with this project , given the importance  of the  the cotton sector. 
She added that this would not only benefit farmers and their families, but  also the overall economy  
through  increas ed revenues, job creation and poverty reduction. She also noted that this  project 
would  support the a chievement of the sustainable development goals in Mozambique , as it focused 
on mainstreaming circularity in agricultural value chains and reducing agricultu ral waste. 
Mozambique  thus welcome d the current work and  feasibility  studies  being  undertaken.  
6.40.   The representative of Mali  took the floor and mentioned that there ha d been fruitful 
experiences in  the countries implement ing cotton by -products program mes. He briefly elaborated 
that extension into cotton by - product s could  be ext remely useful as a lot of farmers depend ed on 
cotton  and Mali truly need ed to increase their production to be able to meet the market demand. He 
added that women empowerment was also a key component of the plan to develop by -products , as 
women in the cotton sector work ed alongside men. Through diversification into cotton by -products, 
Mali believe d that the women in the cotton sector could be more  independent  economically , thus 
benefiting  the families and the economy  as a whole . 
6.41.   The representative of Burkina Faso  joined the others and stated that they  were in favour of 
the cotton by -products initiative , and believe d that the  preparation and  conclusion of the national 
feasibility studies sh ould be followed very closely. He added that this  project was  also important for 
them because  relevant investments could generate greater income s for producers thanks to value TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  addition  for cotton by -products. He looked forward to the conclusion of the feasibility studies , 
validation by national stakeholders and publication . He also  looked forward to  donor s' further support 
in order to operationali ze the recommendations  of the studies, which  would be country -specific . 
6.42.   The Chair added that , ultimately, the objective was to create a solid partnership for 
implementation, consisting of a fully operational group of donors and technical partners, and to hear 
official declarations of support at the 12th ministerial conference  of the WTO . He invited Members 
to share any further information they deem ed relevant on new or on -going projects, including 
updates on implementation and follow up of specific projects and activities.  He concluded by thanking 
all who  had intervened, stressing that  discussions  under item 6  contributed to  fulfilling the DGCFMC  
mandate towards enhanced transparency  and stakeholders' coordination.  Likewise, project -focused 
discussions allow ed for an analysis of the merits of on -going and completed projects. This was also 
fundamental, bearing in mind the mandate for "effective assistance" contained in the Nairobi cotton 
declaration of 20152. The Chair proposed that the Consultative Mechanism t ake note of all the 
statements made . It was so agreed.  
7  DOMESTIC COTTON SECT OR AND OTHER REFORMS/NA TIONAL COTTON SECTOR  FOCAL 
POINTS  
7.1.  The Chair introduced agenda Item 7 by noting that the Secretariat had received  no updates on 
domestic cotton sector s. He strongly encouraged beneficiary countries to share updated information 
on their n ational cotton sector  reforms. He then invited the delegations who wished to take the floor 
to share with participants their latest information on Domestic Cotton Sector Reforms . 
7.2.  The representative of Benin  stated that the cotton sector in Benin was reachi ng higher level s 
of production since 2016 , when significant reforms were undertaken. For  the 2019-2020 crop, Benin 
expect ed even higher levels of production and reforms were continuing and ha d led the State to 
progressively withdraw from the financing of t he cotton sector , which was now considered to be 
private sector. There were no more subsidies to inputs  and research also was being entirely financed 
by the sector itself . He added  that the State w ould no longer be playing an important role other than 
that of oversight of activities and arbitration  of potential disputes . Reforms  were on -going  to further  
liberalise th e sector.  
7.3.  The representative of Burkina Faso  reported  about the implementation of significant measures 
in the beginning of the 2019-2020 crop year to solve some of the difficulties that  had been fac ed by 
the cotton sector over the previous seasons , which had resulted  in very drastic drops in production. 
These measures  had been taken  thanks to the strong participation of farmers in technical aspects 
of production.  Farmers were  trying to  implement  good practices , while quality -oriented measures 
were also being implemented,  for example the systematic treatment o f all seeds made available to 
all producers,  which proved to be very e ffective at all levels of production.  All in all , Burkina Faso 
had evolved from a critical situation of drought  to more regular rainfall patterns allowing  the cotton 
sector to ensure tha t, provided the continued availability of water throughout October  2020, t he new 
seeds  would be  able to give significant results in the 2020 harvest.  
7.4.  He further informed that the  expect ed production  was 550,000 ton nes, allowing producers to  
obtain  better p rofit margin s and arguably enhanced commitment s for 2021. He explained that , in 
terms of reforms, attention was being dedicated to the needs of processing industries in Africa and 
the search for possible investors. He noted that this was a priority sector  where they would request 
support from WTO Members. He further note d that this would great ly benefit  women and young 
people , which would find more jobs in the local processing industry . 
7.5.  The representative of Chad stated that cotton was a catalyst of  social  and economic  
development in his country . He adde d that the  government had spared no effort in supporting cotton 
production and ha d provided significant financial resources to the  cotton  regions , to ensure that 
relevant population s could remain  in their ho meland . Recent  reform s in Chad ha d partially privatized 
the state company and the group OLAM International ha d given more guarantees to ensure that  the 
cotton sector could flourish . He added that Chad ha d given OLAM the task of restructuring  Cotton 
Chad an d developing this sector while assisting farmers.  
 
2 WT/MIN(15)/46, 21 December 2015.  TN/AG/SCC/W/32 • WT/CFMC/60  
 
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  7.6.  Chad had also been able to improve  its cooperation  with the banking sector , to ensure that 
possible financial  gaps could be covered , thus also  putting an end to the  subsidy that the State gave 
to Cotton  Chad. Moreover, Chad ha d imported 8,100 ton nes of cotton seeds, investing 1.2 billion  
francs  CFA in this operation  to ensure that  farmers  returning to the  sector could have enough seeds 
to plant . Chad ha d also undertaken extensi ve work on good agricultur al practices , with the objective 
of enhanc ing the sector's  performance and ensur ing sustainable increases in income s for cotton 
producers.  
7.7.  The representative of Mali  reported that Mali ha d 202,000 farms . The total  planted  area for 
cotton  was 618,000 hectares , but their yield w as stable at 940 kg of seed cotton . Seed c otton 
production  totalled 653,000 tonnes in 2018 and 691,000 in 2019 . He added that an important 
development in Mali was the ISO certification obta ined by the Malian Company for Textile 
Development (CMDT), noting that this important achievement was mostly due to the work of women  
who guarantee d quality in processing operations and had organized in cooperatives produc ing and 
processing  organic cotton.  
7.8.  The Chair thanked all the speakers under Item 7 and proposed that the DGCFMC take note of 
the statements made and reflect them in the report of the meeting. It was so agreed.  
8  CONCLUSION  
8.1.  The Chair thanked all the  development  partners and concluded by stating that the meeting had 
seen useful discussions. He expressed his gratitude to all the speakers of the day, particularly  those 
who had travelled from far away to take part in the  meeting.  
8.2.  He further  noted that  Members were  moving towards the achievement of tangible results 
through the discussions  held at the DGCFMC . One example  of such outcomes  was provided by  the 
Item 6 discussions and presentations of the day , attesting to the constructive role  of donors and 
beneficiaries  in taking forward discussions based on the DG's Evolving Table.  
8.3.  He also encouraged Members and participants to continue using the Consultative Mechanism 
as an open forum for project -focused discussions. The Secretariat w ould continue to assist  advancing 
this process. He finally recorded agreement on publishing the meetings' presentations and 
proceeding on the WTO  website.  The meeting was adjourned.  
 
 
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