The C4 should revise its argumentation to save African cotton producers at the WTO Comments on the C4' communication to the WTO on 1st March 2006

1) The core of the C4's proposals

On February 16, 2006 the 4 West African countries co-Sponsors of the Sectoral Initiative in favour of cotton at the WTO, so-called 'C4', have proposed to the WTO's Sub-Committee on cotton that "The level of reduction of domestic support for cotton shall be three times higher than that of the reductions to be made under whatever general formula is agreed for the reduction of domestic support in agriculture" and that "The time period for the reduction of domestic support for cotton shall be one third of the period agreed upon for the reduction of domestic support in agriculture in general". The 1st March they have specified the higher percentages of reduction of the overall domestic trade distorting supports (OTDS) - which groups together the total AMS, de minimis supports and the blue box - which would apply to cotton according to the reduction rates to which the different countries will be submitted, for instance:

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