TN/AG/SCC/W/28  
WT/CFMC/56  
 
20 February 2018  
(18-1099) Page: 1/8 
Sub-Committee on Cotton    
 
IMPLEMENTATION OF TH E DEVELO PMENT ASSISTANCE ASP ECTS OF THE  
COTTON -RELATED DECISIONS IN  THE 2004 JULY PACKAG E AND  
PARAGRAPH 12 OF THE HONG KONG MINISTERIA L DECLARATION  
ITEM 2C - COHERENCE BETWEEN TR ADE AND DEVELOPMENT ASPECTS:  
UPDATE ON THE DEVELO PMENT ASPECTS OF COT TON 
Report of the 2 8th Round of the Director -General's  
Consultative Framework Mechanism on Cotton1 
17 November  2017 
1  INTRODUCT ION 
1.1  The 28th Round of the Dire ctor-General's Consultative Framework Mechanism on Cotton  
(DGCFMC)  was held on 17 November 2017, under the chairmanship of Deputy Director -General 
Ambassador Alan Wm. Wolff.  
1.2  The Chairman  acknowledged  all participants  and welcomed  the opportunity of chairi ng 
meetings of the DGCFMC on behalf of the  Director -General . He also noted that the development 
assistance aspects of cotton were a part icularly positive  example  of WTO cooperation.  
1.3  He brought to the  attention of participants  the revision of the provisional agenda  for the 
DGCFMC . The agenda included a proposed new item 6 on "Cotton Development Assistance 
Projects ", which had been added to the agenda  following a  request by the Cotton -42 (C-4), and 
as discussed  at a Quad Plus me eting on 2 November 2017 .  
1.4  He stated that  the proposed new agenda item 6 was  in line with the  WTO mandate on cotton 
development assistance , as contained in paragraph 10 of the Bali Ministerial D ecision on C otton3 
and paragraph 11 of the Nairobi  Ministerial  Decision on C otton4, which call  for effective assistance 
and for least-developed countries ( LDCs) to continue identifying their needs linked to cotton or 
related sectors, including  on a regional basis . He also recalled  relevant  suggestions made by the 
C-4 and other Members , including on the need for enhanced  private sector participation at 
DGCFMC meetings  and the desirability of having well -substantiated discussions under agenda 
item 6. 
1.5  The Chairman stressed that t his new  agenda item would add tangible val ue for beneficiaries , 
donors and partners of cotton  development assistance  projects and programmes. Indeed, 
beneficiaries could use the DGCFMC  as a platform for presenting project proposals and testing 
their potential to be funded, while donors and partner s could use it to discuss  impacts  and lessons 
learned from on -going and concluded cotton  development assistance  projects  and activities .  
1.6  Participants agreed to the addition of a new standing agenda item 6 on " Cotton 
Development Assistance Projects " on the  agenda of DGCFM C meetings, effective from the 
28th Round of the DGCFMC . 
                                                
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 Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali  
3 Document WT/MIN(13)/41 – WT/L/916, dated 11 December 2013 . 
4 Document WT/MIN(15)/46 – WT/L/981, dated 21 December 2015 . TN/AG/SCC/W/28 • WT/CFMC/56  
 
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  2  STATEMENT BY THE C4 COORDINATOR  
2.1  The Ambassador of Mali, speaking on behalf of the C-4 and other cotton -producing  countries, 
congratulated Ambassador  Alan Wm. Wolff for his nomination as WTO Deputy Director -General  
and for his appointment  as Chair of the DGCFMC  on behalf of the Director -General . He also  praised  
the WTO Secretariat for the organization of the  DGCFMC  as part of the WTO  "cotton day ", and the 
initiatives taken  to support  the development of the cotton sector in developing  countries and LDCs , 
in Africa and elsewhere . 
2.2  He reaffirmed the importance of promoting the Africa n cotton sector , highlighting the priority 
of the sector and the need to have meaningful relevant discussions at the DGCFMC. He regretted 
the general lack of progress in  the WTO  agriculture negotiations, particularly in  the area of 
domestic suppo rt for cotton. He noted that the ultimate objective of the C -4 remained the 
achievement of  a negotiated solu tion with regard to the issue of  domestic support  for the cotton 
sector, in line with the  July Package decision of 1  August  2004 to treat cotton  “ambitiously, 
expeditiously and specifically” within the agriculture negotiations .  
2.3  He noted that the  C-4 had circulated their  proposal for the negotiations on 11 October 2017 .5 
The proposal included  a draft -ministerial decision  setting out progressive reduction s of all forms of 
subsidies and domestic support  measures  which distort ed the cotton market. Negotiation s and 
cooperation  were singled out as preferred instruments  within the WTO to achieve the most 
appropriate solution  for the development of the  African cotton  sector . He thus recalled the 
commitment  of the C -4 to the multilateral trading system , and the faith they had in the WTO's  
ability to allow better integration through  global value chain s. In this con text, the C -4 coordinator  
mentioned  the multidimensional integrative project titled "Cotton Roadmap ",6 which was an 
important C-4 Ministerial outcome .  
2.4  He explained that the  Cotton Roadmap Project wa s aimed at promoting cotton -to-textile  value 
chain s, competitiveness, inclusiveness and sustainability  under four main tenets: 1)  quality and 
prom otion of African cotton in the West and S outh with  a post -harvest programme, 2)  value  
addition  to cotton seed and lint in the region,  3) promotion of investment s in technology and 
knowledge transfer  particularly  on a south -south basis , and 4) reduction of cost s in the  African  
cotton value chain. The C4  countries  urged techn ical and financial partners, both  bilateral and 
multilateral , to support the implementation of the Cotton Roadmap Project .  
2.5  He annou nced the organization of a high -level event  on cotton  during  MC11 in Buenos Aires . 
The event would  focus on  cotton projects and include  the launch of a joint WTO/ITC Cotton Portal, 
a presentation  of the major pillars of the Cotton Roadmap Project , and a press conference  by 
C-4 ministers . 
2.6  Finally, the C -4 coordinator  expressed gratitude  to China on beha lf of the C -4, for the  financial 
support  granted by China to allow the effective participation of  the National C otton  Focal Points 
from the C -4. He noted  that the contributions made  by the participation of the  national cotton focal 
points was crucial for the relevance and practical value of the discussions held at the DGCFMC.   
2.7  The representative of the ACP  Group  recalled that at the last Round of the DGCFMC , on 
24 July 2017, he had spelled out  the priorities for the future development of the cotton sector in 
Africa. Those priorities included  the sustainable and inclusive development of the  cotton  value 
chain.  
2.8  He noted that the discussions  held at the 23rd steering committee  of the EU -Africa partnership 
on Cotton (COS-Coton), held in B russel s on 16 November 2017, had focused on those same 
priorities  and had seen a presentation on a "pan-African cotton investment programm e". He noted 
that the meeting  had concluded with  a broad co nsensus on the need to have a unifying event to 
strengthen the different projects and programmes in favour of the African cotton sector , with 
particular emphasis on the Cotton Roadmap Project  promoted by the C -4. This w as coherent with 
the ACP approach  of linking  up value chain  development , financi ng, capacity building, trade,  
investment and climate change  mitigation and adaptation . He concluded by committing  to the 
finalization of a project proposal together with various other partners . 
                                                
5 Document TN/AG/GEN/46 - TN/AG/ SCG/GEN/18 dated  11 October 2017.  
6 Document WT/CFMC/W/72 dated  11 April 2017.  TN/AG/SCC/W/28 • WT/CFMC/56  
 
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  2.9  The representative of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD ) also spoke about 
the pan -African cotton investment programme . He depicted  the programme as an  initiative of the 
African Union to give a broad  financial basis to cotton development  initiatives  and projects,  while 
promoting  value chain  development  on the African continent.  
2.10  He suggested that the project development process for the pan -African cotton investment 
programme  was sufficien tly inclusive to take into account  the specific  concerns of the C-4. He also 
expressed  satisfaction with the  participation  of NEPAD  in the 28th Round of the DG CFMC , and  
welcomed  the DGCFMC as an initiative that enables  regular  discussion s on cotton development 
assistance issues and prospects. These discussions ensure d that African actors in the cotton value 
chain  had their voice heard within the multilateral trading system.  
2.11  The Chairman  welcomed the statement by  the Ambassador  of Mali, as well as the other 
statements  made . He stressed that the various development assi stance initiatives, pr ojects and 
programmes mentioned by the speakers were  all encouraging activities  towards the promotion of 
cotton value chains.  
3  COTTON PRODUCTION AN D TRADE TRENDS  
3.1  The Chairman  introduced item 3 by stressing the importance of the partner ship between the 
WTO and the International Cotton Advisory Committee ( "ICAC") for the advancement of the WTO 
work on cotton through  the sharing of analyses and data. He referred to a recent v isit he had 
made at the ICAC hea dquarters in Washington DC, and thanked ICAC for its warm welcome and 
availability to engage in technical discussions . 
3.2  The Executive Director of the ICAC, Mr. Kai Hughes , provided  information on the  estimated  
total number of  cotton  farmers in Africa, which stood at  around 3.5 million cultivating about 4.2 
million hectares.  Women were an  estimated 12% of those  farmers .  
3.3  He undersco red that most cotton produced by  Africa n countries  was exported, and that if 
African countries started spinning  their locally -produced cotton , the number of  persons employed 
in the cotton sector would triple . He stated th at African cotton production had  recorded significant 
growth since 2011, while cotton mill use  had not experienced  the same  growth rate . African yield 
had been flat since the 1990s , while during the same period  world average yield had risen  by 40%. 
He added that the average African  yield was  64% lower than the world average yield , thus 
showing great potentials to increase productivity in Africa .  
3.4  He provided  update d statistics on African cotto n exports , according  to which  the largest 
exporters were Burkina Faso and  Mali, followed by  Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Cameroon and Chad. 
These countries account ed for 72 % of total  African  export s.  
3.5  He noted that Afr ican cotton was of good quality  and highly recognized , for example  in various 
Asian markets. He further noted that the  costs of production associated with cotton were 
extremely competitive  in Africa  compare d with the rest of the world, and suggested that , with 
increased productivity and  reduced  trade  costs, Africa was  ideally p ositioned  to expand its exports  
to Asian market s, thus improving revenues and alleviating poverty.  
3.6  He made reference to the FAO/IPPC  ePhyto project and its relevance to cotton trade . ePhyto 
was a n on-going project aimed at developing a  system of harmonized electronic  Sanitary and 
Phyto sanitary  (SPS) certificates functioning on the basis of "block chain" technology. The final goal  
of the project was to create an ePhyto  hub composed of various trading entities, so as to facilitate 
the exchange  of SPS certifications and to harmonize the SPS certificates.   
3.7  In response to various questions from the delegations of Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and 
Pakistan, th e representat ive of ICAC  noted that the major challenges hindering  the development of 
the cotton sector  in Africa  were under -exploited  productivity  potentials , insufficient mill use, and 
lack of coordination  in cotton value chains  and in the cotton sector in general . He also took note of 
a request by the C -4 for a presentation on the state of cotton transf ormation technologies in Africa  
and the relevant need for technology transfer.   TN/AG/SCC/W/28 • WT/CFMC/56  
 
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  3.8  The representative of Pakistan  stated that , as the 4th largest producer o f cotton in the world, 
cotton was  the backbone of  the economy in Pakistan . However, production was  falling a s a result 
of climate change,  unfavourable weather conditions , and distortions in international markets . He 
noted the relevance of DGCFMC discussions in light o f the recent challenges  faced by  the cotton 
sector  in Pakistan .  
3.9  The Chairman  concluded discussions under this agenda item by  thanking the ICAC 
representative . He noted that there was  evidence of great needs and  a potential for growth,  from 
production to downstream uses , with  the ICAC presentation  highlight ing both opportunities and 
challenges  for the cotton sector in Africa . 
4  DIRECTOR -GENERAL'S EVOLVING TABLE ON CO TTON  DEVELOPMENT ASSISTAN CE 
4.1  The Chairman  introduced  item 4 of the agenda  by recalling  the circulation on 
7 November  2017 of the  updated version of the Evolving Table  on c otton development 
assistance  ("ET"), in document WT/CFMC/6/Rev.23 . 
4.2  The representative of the S ecretariat  (Ms Marième Fall)  present ed the updated version of the  
ET. She mentioned that the ET had been recognized by cotton industry experts  as a unique  
transparency -enhancing tool in the world of commodities.  She added that the ET had become a  
reference monitoring tool for cotton projects a nd programmes through  quantitative information 
based on the submission s received from members  and multilateral agencies .  
4.3  She reported that the  latest update  of the ET was based on contributions received from 
Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, and the United States, as well as from  the United Nations 
Conference on Trade and Development  (UNCTAD ). Updates had also been received by GIZ  
(Germany)  and by the World Bank after the cut -off deadline; those updates would be reported in 
the next version of the ET,  to be circulated in the first half of 2018.  
4.4  She presented data  showing the trends in cotton development assistance funding  over the last 
four updates of the ET, i.e.  from June 2016 to November 2017.  The total value of committed 
amount for active projects  stood at about 204 million dollars for part I  of the ET  (cotton specific) , 
and at  3.5 billion dollars for projects in part II  of the ET (agriculture wide) . It also appeared from 
those  data that,  while the amount of cotton development  assistance commitments  in part I had 
remained  stable, the amount of total commitment s in part II had slightly decreased during the 
period under consideration . The ratio of total disbursements to total commitments had increased in 
both parts I and II of the ET.  
4.5  She concluded her  presentation by noting that part III of the ET, containing the contact 
details of the national  cotton  focal points in beneficiary countries, contained information for only  
16 beneficiary countries. She encouraged all beneficiaries to send the relevant inf ormation to the 
Secretariat , in order to  have that information published in the next version of the ET.  
4.6  The representative of Mali  thanked the Secretariat for the presentation and the  donors and 
bilateral partners  for their  continued  support.  He also encouraged Members  and multilateral 
agencies to further i mprove  the disbursements to commitments ratio, and urged  other beneficiary 
countries to provide  the Secretariat with  an update  of the  designated  national  cotton  focal points . 
4.7  The representative of Benin  expressed  gratitude to the Secretariat and  donor s for their 
support . He noted an  increase in the number of beneficiaries  in part II of the ET,  from 31 to 38 , 
against an increase in the number of projects reported in that part of only 2 projects. The 
Secretariat explained that the new projects included in Part II of the ET were multi -beneficiary 
projects, which explained the significant increase in the number of  individual beneficiaries reported 
in part II of the latest version of the ET.  
4.8  He further suggested that Members could focus their development assistance projects on  
trade facilitation and capacity building for cotton -producing  LDCs. He  also urged bilater al partners 
under  the South-South cooperation  platform of the ET , and other  developing -country  Members in a 
position to do so , to continue their  development  assistance programme s for the cotton sector in 
Benin, with a view to further  combat ing poverty.  TN/AG/SCC/W/28 • WT/CFMC/56  
 
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  4.9  The Chairman  thanked the representatives of the donor community who  provided inputs  to 
update the ET, and stressed the importance of transparency in  the work of the WTO  in general  and 
in the DGCFMC in particular. He also restated the special importance  that the Director -General 
attache d to the  WTO work on cotton.  
5  SOUTH -SOUTH COTTON COOPERA TION  
5.1  The representative  of Brazil  reiterated the strong  commitment  of his country  to provide 
technical assistance to cotton producers in the developing world.  He made reference to  various 
on-going projects, including a partnership between the Brazilian  Cooperation Agency, the Brazilian 
Agricultural Research C orporation , and the governments of the C -4 and Togo.   
5.2  He reported that the  activities implemented under tha t partnership  had contributed to the 
strengthening of individual skills of technicians, researcher s, and cotton producers, while also 
including actions towards  institutional capacity building. He highlighted that these actions had  
improved cotton productio n in partner countries, and reported  that two new projects , already 
introduced at the previous round of the DGCFMC, were based on  a partnership with Benin and Mali  
and were awaiting  renewal of the umbrella project supporting their implementation . He conclu ded 
by thanking the C -4 for submitting the Cotton Roadmap Project, and noted that some of the 
objectives of that project were already being pursued by the C -4 and Togo project.   
5.3  The representative of China  stated that  the partnership between China and  African countries  
had further consolidated over recent  years, with a special focus on the cotton sector.  He reported 
that, o ver the  last two years,  China had participated in 10 technical cooperation p rogrammes  
focused on various issues,  including industria lization and agriculture modernization  with special 
emphasis on the cotton sector. Examples of such programmes included training courses and the 
provision of agricultural machinery for cotton production in Western Africa .  
5.4  He highlighted that Chinese  exper ts were  being sent to Benin to train local personnel on 
cotton production, with several workshops organized in the C -4 and other African countries,  such 
as Sudan and Zambia.  He added that, under the China Africa  agriculture modernization plan , China 
had carried out agriculture -related projects in 100 African villages  with a view to raising  living 
standards . 
5.5  The representative of Mali  acknowledged , on behalf of the C -4, the contribution s of Brazil and 
China. He also  thanked Brazil  for the successful completi on of its project in Mali, which had  
improved cotton production and yield.  He also noted that the  C-4 plus Togo project  mentioned by 
Brazil had  produced positive result s, especially in terms of capacity building  for workers in the 
cotton sector . He conclud ed by encouraging further cooperation under the South -South  platform.   
5.6  The representative of Chad highlighted the fact that the Heads of State of the  Communauté 
Economique des  Etats de l'Afrique Centrale (CEEAC) had drawn , together with their  partners , a 
development strategy for the cotton  and textile  sector s in Africa,  taking into account the specific 
needs of each country. The objective  of the strategy  was to move to a more competitive and 
integrated sector which could produce  cotton and cotton produc ts of high quality , open trading  
opportunities  in the international market , and also contribute to combating poverty.  He underlined 
the importance of that cotton  and textile development strategy  and urged partners to support its 
further advancement.  
5.7  The representative of Benin  stressed  the importance of the co llaboration  his country had 
undertaken with India, and expressed the hope that such cooperation would deepen and continue 
in the long term.  
5.8  The Chairman  thanked all the speakers and recalled that the contributions made by  
participants were re corded  and given official recognition, for instance through the Periodic Report 
on Cotton Development Assistance prepared under the responsibility of the Director Gen eral.7 
                                                
7 Document WT/GC/187 – WT/CFMC/DG/8 – WT/MIN(17)/5 dated 22 November 2017.  
 TN/AG/SCC/W/28 • WT/CFMC/56  
 
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  6  COTTON DEVELOPMENT A SSISTANCE PROJECTS  
6.1  The Chairman  introduced agenda item 6 by recalling that this new agenda item had been  
added to the DGCFMC agenda  pursuant to  a request by the C -4 and as endorse d by participants to  
the cotton Quad plus meeting of 2 November 2017.   
6.2  The representative of Mali  present ed, on behalf of the C-4, the key tenets of the "Cotton 
Roadmap  Project ". The comprehensive project  proposal  had been developed in partnership with 
the International Trade Centre  ("ITC"), and originally circulated in document WT/CFMC/W/72 
dated  11 April 2017.  
6.3  He clarified that the presentation was aimed at collecting feedback on the project potential t o 
attract  financial and technical support by the donor community , as well as on any oth er 
substantive matter related to the Cotton Roadmap Project.  
6.4  He first illustrated the  needs of the cotton sector t hat the  Cotton R oadmap Project aimed  at 
addressing . He explained  that the project was of a cross -regional nature, and catered to the  needs 
of regional cotton value chains  in Africa . He indicated that  issues related to productivity, 
infrastructure, logistics, and business climate, coupled with  the lack of local transformation 
capacity , were  amongst the main  gaps targeted by  the project . Ultimately, the  project would help 
support the development of  strong regional value chains based on  cotton -to-textile processing and 
processing of cotton derivative products.   
6.5  He highlighted the following  expected outcomes from the implementation of the p roject : 
creation of sustainable jobs and  poverty  alleviation , promotion of artisanal and semi -industrial and 
industrial cotton processing,  as well as  transfer of knowledge and technology.  
6.6  The representative of Mali  stressed  that the project would address a wide range of value 
added activities , building on previous  achieve ments , and using support from previous cotton 
projects . These actions would help identify and promot e the comparative advantage  and the 
potential to attract investments  of each of the C -4 countr ies. The measurable project outcomes 
included  job creation, increase s in yield per hectare, improve ments  in local production processing 
rate, and increased  contribution of cotton to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)  of the beneficiary 
countries .  
6.7  The Chairman  thanked the representative  of Mali for his presentation of the Cotton Roadmap 
Project and recalled that the objective of the presentation was to foster discussions,  particularly on 
the project's potential to attract funds.  He further noted that th e C-4 had  initiated  an innovative  
and creative  approach to stimulating  discussions at the DGCFMC, and encouraged other members 
as well as  multilateral agencies to contribute to project -specific discussions.  He highlighted the 
practical value of using the D GCFMC as a forum for informal project promotion, as well as for 
discussions on follow up and lessons learned from on -going and concluded projects.   
6.8  The representative of Japan  thanked the C-4 for the presentat ion and stated that he would 
report back to his capital with regard to the Cotton Roadmap Project, with a view to collecting 
detailed feedback and assessing the interest of Japan in being a partner in the project. As a 
preliminary feedback, the representative of J apan sought clarification as to what innovative 
elements had been incorporated in the Cotton Roadmap Project . 
6.9  The representative o f Brazil  reiterated Brazil's  willingness to consider the activities of the 
Cotton Roadmap Project that f ell within the technic al assistance framework of the Brazilian 
Cooperation Agency , and promised to report  back to capital  about the details of the prospective 
project.  
6.10  The representative of Benin  recommended that Members maintain a lively debate on projects 
and programmes, and noted that the Cotton Roadmap Project ha d value addition as its key 
objective.  
6.11  The Chairman  concluded  discussions under this agenda item by highlighting that the 
interaction  between donors and beneficiaries appeared to be very useful, particularly to collect 
additional information on projects and programmes  towards a greater understanding of their TN/AG/SCC/W/28 • WT/CFMC/56  
 
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  value . He encourage d participants to communicate with  the Secretariat in betwee n the Rounds of 
the DGCFMC abou t the projects that they would like to list under this agenda item, both for project 
promotion and for follow up purposes . 
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, Chad and Mali , as reflected in document 
WT/CFMC/21/Rev.14.  
7.2   The National Cotton Focal Point of Chad  explained that cotton offered  special opport unities  to 
increase agricultural  productivity . He recalled that cotton provided a livelihood to more than 3 
million people in Chad (25% of the population), and that it was cultivated in the most favourable 
economic zones of the region. Th ose factors had prompted the government to implement 
important reforms in the cotton sector.  
7.3  He reported that  "COTONTCHAD Société Nouvelle " had set the objective of boosting 
production to 300.000 ton nes of seed cotton for the season 2017/2018. Within the context of th e 
national price fixing policy for cotton, a tripartite committee had been created by ministerial decree 
on 19 April 2017. The main task of this committee was to set up a new price fixing mechanism for 
cotton in the country.  
7.4  He concluded his intervention by highlighting the importance of the WTO work on cotton and 
Chad's engagement in support of the initiatives taken at the WTO by the C-4. He stressed  that the 
Cotton Roadmap Project was a n important and promising project embracing the  strategic vision of 
the C -4 to enhance productivity and create local value added.  
7.5  The National Cotton Focal Point of Mali  reported that cotton remained a pillar of the Malian 
economy. He noted  that the sector was a catalyst to boost  agricultural productiv ity and welfare for 
about 4 million people. He further highlighted the role of cotton as a cash crop in the country, and 
its contribution to food se curity due to the association between  cotton  and cereals farming. He 
highlighted that cotton processing prov ided livelihoods for over 5.000 employees of the 
"Compagnie Malienne du Développement des Textiles  (CMDT) ".  
7.6  He explained  that Mali's main objective was to revitalize  the cotton sector, and that this 
objective was directly linked to the need for increasing  and evaluating  development  assistance  
initiatives . The planned institutional reforms included a possible reorganization of the CMDT. He 
added that the three pillars of the national strategy to revamp the cotton sector were: 1) a 
privatization scheme, 2) t he industrialization of  transformation in  the cotton value chain, and 
3) the consolidation of the achievements of the national inter -professional entities such as the 
"Interprofession du Coton du Mali " (IPC) and the " Confédération des Sociétés Coopératives  des 
Producteurs de Coton  (C-SCPC)".   
7.7   He concluded  his intervention  by sharing information on cotton production in t he 
2016/17 season , whe re 647.200  tonnes of seed cotton were produced , representing an increase of  
26% on the previous season . Production wa s expected  to further increase in the subsequent 
season, mostly due to the engagement with cotton cultivation of local smallholders . He further 
noted that support schemes for agricultural inputs for small producers would be pursued  in the 
2017/18 season . He stressed  the need for multilateral actions to reduce  domestic support to the 
cotton sector in developed countries, and  thanked the development assistance partners  of Mali for 
their efforts and continued cooperation.  
7.8  The National Cotton Focal Point of Burkina Faso  provided updated figures on the production of 
seed cotton in Burkina Faso for  the 2016/17  season , which stood at 682. 940 ton nes, representing 
an increase of 16% o ver the previous season. He also rep orted of reduced yields due to  climate 
change and  the spread of pests . He noted the forecast for a  20% increase in production for the 
subsequent season, mostly based on the rainfall profile of the three major cotton -producing zones 
in the country.   TN/AG/SCC/W/28 • WT/CFMC/56  
 
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  7.9  He described the national system to e stablish the price of seed cotton, which was based on a 
fluctuating 3 -year average of reference prices based on  the two most recently concluded seasons 
and the price forecast for the forthcoming season (as provided by the New York futures market ). 
He also referred to  the national system for establishing the price of agricultural inputs, which was 
based on a decision taken by the " Association Interprofessionnelle du Coton du Burkina " (AICB).  
7.10  He concluded his presentation by reporting on actions taken by cott on producers to combat 
the spread of pests, and by sharing the forecast for the production of seed cotton for the season 
2017/18, which stood at a total 731.192 ton nes, corresponding to a 7% increase o ver the previous 
season , while , on the other hand, the  productivity per hectare  was expected to decline by 10% in 
the season 2017/18.   
7.11  The National Cotton Focal Point of Benin  reported that the governme nt of Benin had 
re-established, in April 2016, the framework agreement between the " Association 
Interprofess ionnelle du Coton  (AIC)" and the State of Benin, which had  been suspended since 
2012. He noted  that this reform had allowed rebuilding trust amongst the economic operators in 
the cotton sector. Additional benefits of th at reform included the involvement of cotton growers in 
the fixation of the price of seed cotton and timely payments to cotton producers, owing to the 
public -private management of the value chain. He highlighted that the reform had also led to an 
increase in the number of hectares dedicated to cotton cultivation in the season 2016/17, and that 
production  was expected to increase from 453. 012 ton nes in 2016/17 to a forecast of 
550.000 tonnes for the season  2017/18 . 
7.12  Secondly,  he announced that the Société Natio nale de Promotion Agricole  (SONAPRA) had 
been dissolved  and replaced by 7 local entities , the " Agences Territoriales de Développement 
Agricole " (ATDA) . The latter had been provided with legal personality and financial autonomy, and 
had as their main object ive the harmoniz ation of  the value chain and  territorial approaches to the 
cotton sector. The local entities were expected to act on issues ranging from the strengthening of 
the cooperation between the various cotton stakeholders to the promotion of agricu ltural 
modernization and relevant economic infrastructure.  
7.13  He concluded his intervention by reporting on a third reform affecting the cotton sector: the 
creation by government decree, in June 2017, of the "Fond National de Développement Agricole " 
(FNDA). T he FNDA was expected to start discharging its functions by the end of 2017.  
7.14  The Chairman  thanked  the National Cotton Focal Points  for their comprehensive contribution s 
and comments , which were highly relevant  to the work of the DGCFMC . 
8  CONCLUSION  
8.1.  The Chairman concluded the meeting by reiterating the importance that the Director -General 
attache s to the Cotton File. He commended the C-4, the donor community as well as other 
beneficiaries of development assistance for their constructive role in taking for ward the discussions 
based on the Director -General's Evolving Table.   
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