US urges emerging market countries to lower duties on cotton imports

0 Comments | AFP, September, 2005

GENEVA (AFP) — The United States, often accused of distorting trade in cotton by subsidizing its farmers and thereby harming African producers, called on emerging market nations to lower their tariffs on imported cotton.

"Some of the most important markets for cotton where the Africans or we are going to sell cotton have some of the highest tariffs," a senior US government official said at the World Trade Organisation, citing China, India and Pakistan as the main culprits.

Referring to the latest round of talks aimed at increasing free trade among WTO members, he said: "We would certainly expect those tariffs to be part of the negotiations."

The latest round of WTO talks, launched in Doha in 2001, was meant to have been concluded by the end of last year but...