TN/AG/GEN/34/Rev.7/Add.2  
TN/AG/SCC/GEN/13/Rev.7/Add.2  
 
23 January 2018  
(18-0570) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Agriculture  
Special Session  
Sub-Committee on Cotton    
 
COTTON  
BACKGROUND PAPER BY THE SECRETARIAT1 
Addendum  
This document contain s three  additional replies from Chad, the European Union  and the 
Russian  Federation , respectively, to the questionnaire on recent  policy developments for cotton , 
which was circulated on 10 October 2017 . The document  should be read in conjunction with  
Annex  4 of document TN/AG/GEN/34/Rev.7  – TN/AG/SCC/GEN/13/R ev.7, which was circulated on 
7 November 2017 . 
                                                
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. It has been prepared for 
information only and is not intended to provide any  authoritative or official legal interpretation of the provisions 
of the WTO Agreements in general or in relation to any measure listed in this document.  TN/AG/GEN/34/Rev.7/Add.2 • TN/AG/SCC/GEN/13/Rev.7/Add.2  
 
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  ANNEX 4  
MEMBERS' REPLIES TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE ON  NEW OR UPDATED  
COTTON -RELATED POLICY DEVEL OPMENTS  
Reply from Chad  
Market access  
Given the fact that cotton is picked by hand in Chad, as in most African cotton -producing 
countries, Chadian cotton fibre does not face any particular market access problems. Furthermore, 
the two varieties cultivated in Chad are still favoured by spinners, owing to the length of their fibre 
and their tenacity. It is more the quantity that is insufficient, as the production of seed cotton is 
increasingly in decline.  
Domestic support  
In terms of supp ort, Chadian cotton still benefits from actions by the State, which is a guarantor 
for loans from bank pools in favour of the cotton company, and from cotton fertilizer subsidies. 
Other than the State, there are no other forms of domestic support.  
Export c ompetition  
In view of the high production and processing costs, which are due to the country's location on the 
continent, Chadian cotton still faces challenges when it comes to world market prices, in 
comparison with major producing countries such as China , the Uni ted States and certain 
European  countries, in which producers receive considerable State support.  
However, as pointed out above, the quality of Chadian cotton fibre provides a comparative 
advantage.  TN/AG/GEN/34/Rev.7/Add.2 • TN/AG/SCC/GEN/13/Rev.7/Add.2  
 
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  Reply from the European Union  
No new cotton -related policy developments took place since the update in March 2017  (page 97 of 
document TN/AG/GEN/34/Rev.7  - TN/AG/ SCC/GEN/13 /Rev.7 ). 
 TN/AG/GEN/34/Rev.7/Add.2 • TN/AG/SCC/GEN/13/Rev.7/Add.2  
 
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  Reply from the Russian Federation  
Market Access  
Cotton fiber exports and imports of Russian Federation (thousand US dollars)  
  2017 
(8 mo nths) 
Export   
Republic of Belarus  379.5  
Kazakhstan  0.1 
Latvia  5,432.9  
Total 5,812.5  
Import   
Azerbaijan  279.8  
Republic of Belarus  13.5 
Kazakhstan  4,648.3  
Kyrgyz Republic   894.2  
Latvia  173.7  
Tajikistan  1,691.9  
Turkmenistan  483.3  
Republic of Uzbekistan  4,119.5  
Total 12,304.3  
 
Domestic Support  
The Russian Federation does not provide domestic support for cotton.  
 
Export Competition  
There are no specific measures in the context of expor t competition for cotton in  
the Russian Federation .  
 
 
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