EU and US safeguards against Chinese textile exports: What consequences for West African cotton-producing countries?

In 2005, following the phase-out of the Agreement on Textile and Clothing, the EU and the US have implemented new restrictions on textile and clothing imports from China. Available data suggests that the shortfall thus imposed on China, in terms of textile exports to the EU and to the US, is significant. West African cotton-producing countries are very dependant on cotton earnings for their GDP and over the last years, most of the growth of their cotton exports’ revenues has resulted from increasing exports to China. The results of a model of Chinese and West African cotton exchanges suggests that Chinese imports of West African cotton are strongly dependant on its textile exports to the EU and the US. EU and US safeguards against Chinese textile might have seriously hampered West African cotton exports opportunities over the past two years.West-Africa; cotton; ATC; EU and US safeguards; China; textile

African cotton markets at crossroads : will the price spike turn into a new kick-start ?

After years of diplomatic efforts and legal procedures to obtain the elimination of rich countries'cotton subsidies, policy prospects for African cotton producers remain bleak. However, the world price for cotton has doubled in a year and has hit an all-time high. This paper examines these developments and investigates their potential consequences for African smallholder farmers. It emphasizes the importance of price transmission to domestic markets; assesses the impact of the reforms undertaken in Sub-Saharan African cotton sectors on producers'supply responsiveness; and outlines what remains to be done to ensure that farmers can benefit from a favorable global environment. The paper concludes that improving the functioning of domestic markets remains the priority in the short run. The current high price season will reveal the costs and benefits of different types of sector regulation systems and the capacity of policy-makers and sector stakeholders to deliver on promises. It also offers a last-minute opportunity to rich countries to keep their word in the context of the Doha Development Round.Markets and Market Access,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Emerging Markets,Access to Markets

Sub-Saharan African Cotton Policies in Retrospect

Using a series of market structure criteria, this paper gives a panorama of policies and reforms in all sub-saharan African cotton producing countries from the early 1960s to the present time. Reporting institutional changes precisely and in a consistent manner for all countries offers new opportunities for empirical comparative work. In addition, we identify trends in policy changes, which, to our knowledge, have not yet been described; in particular, we observe a recent but clear tendency towards re-regulation, which, interestingly, seems to transcend the traditional geographical divide.Crop Production/Industries,

Aid for Trade effectiveness: What do evaluations say?.

This item has no abstract.

Revisiting the “Cotton Problem”: A comparative analysis of cotton reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa

The cotton sector has been amongst the most regulated in Africa, and still is to a large extent in West and Central Africa (WCA), despite repeated reform recommendations by international donors. On the other hand, orthodox reforms in East and Southern Africa (ESA) have not always yielded the expected results. This paper uses a stylized contracting model to investigate the link between market structure and equity and efficiency in sub-Saharan cotton sectors and analyze the potential consequences of orthodox reforms in WCA. We argue that the level of the world price and of government intervention, the degree of post-reform competition, as well as the degree of parastatal inefficiency, all contribute to making reforms less attractive (but not less pressing) to farmers and governments in WCA today, as compared to ESA in the 1990s. We illustrate our arguments with empirical observations on the performance of cotton sectors across sub-Saharan Africa.Sub-Saharan Africa, cotton reforms, self-enforcing contracts, Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Q12, L33, O12,

Sortir de l’impasse des APE : pour une initiative des pays ACP à l’OMC

Les pays ACP doivent donc prendre une initiative dans l’intérêt de leur développement. Se tourner vers l’Europe n’a guère de sens actuellement : pourquoi espérer de l’Europe un geste que la Commission s’obstine à ne pas faire ? Reste un forum que les pays ACP devraient explorer, celui de l’Organisation Mondiale du Commerce (OMC). Cette note examine ce que les pays ACP pourraient faire dans le cadre des négociations de Doha en cours

Aid for Trade effectiveness: What do evaluations say?

The Aid for Trade (AfT) initiative has been hailed as highly successful in raising the profile of trade as a tool for development. Developing countries have increasingly mainstreamed trade in their development strategies, while donors have responded by mobilising additional resources for trade-related programmes and projects (together referred to as operations). The AfT initiative however requires a better assessment of its outcomes and impacts in terms of trade performance, poverty reduction, growth and development (...)