Cotton Sector Strategies In West And Central Africa English Version

Cotton production is truly a success story in West and Central Africa. The region is now the second largest exporter of lint, after the United States, with a world market share of 15 percent. Despite its strong performance in the past, the sector is characterized by several institutional and structural weaknesses that jeopardize its viability in an era of increasing globalization of the cotton industry. The sector's future performance will also depend on the implications of cotton sector policies in major producing countries such as the United States, the European Union, and China. This paper examines how the above factors may affect future growth of the region's cotton industry. It also identifies the changes that are required to enable countries in the region to fully exploit the sector's significant growth potential .This paper - a product of Rural Development 2, Africa Technical Families -is part of a larger effort in the region to contribute to the debate on development strategies in West and Central Africa. The authors may be contacted at [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected].

Cotton production in West and Central Africa (WCA) has contributed to growth and poverty reduction. Recently, the objective of poverty alleviation has been adversely impacted by the downward pressures on world prices (exacerbated by subsidies by major cotton producers outside Africa). Several countries in WCA are undergoing reforms in the cotton sector to stimulate greater market competition and raise the share of the international price going to farmers. While these efforts would help to improve rural income irrespective of the world market situation, they would be more powerful in combination with a reduction in other countries’ subsidies in this sector.

Based on comprehensive empirical studies, the paper identifies key reforms and defines strategies to enhance the competitiveness of cotton sectors in West and Central Africa. The report uses industrial organization principles to compare privatization options and design reforms to best implement sector reforms scheme

Cotton production in West and Central Africa (WCA) has contributed to growth and poverty reduction. Recently, the objective of poverty alleviation has been adversely impacted by the downward pressures on world prices (exacerbated by subsidies by major cotton producers outside Africa). Several countries in WCA are undergoing reforms in the cotton sector to stimulate greater market competition and raise the share of the international price going to farmers. While these efforts would help to improve rural income irrespective of the world market situation, they would be more powerful in combination with a reduction in other countries` subsidies in this sector.

At a time when trade negotiations on cotton have been suspended, the publication contends that with 16 million people in West African being dependent on cotton production, the dialogue between developed and developing countries must continue and sets out a framework for discussions.

This book provides an empirically based, analytical assessment of the experience of reform in nine countries across Sub Saharan Africa representing a range of cotton sector structures, a must-read for all persons with a serious interest in an empirical evaluation of the performance of cotton industry structures in Africa.

In King Cotton in International Trade Meredith A. Taylor Black provides a comprehensive analysis of the WTO Cotton dispute and its significant jurisprudential and negotiating effect on disciplining and containing the negative effects of highly trade-distorting agricultural subsidies of developed countries.