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| Photo by Trevor Leighton |
Traidcraft, People Tree and the World Fair Trade Organisation are calling for an end to cotton subsidies which keep African cotton farmers in poverty.
The US government gives its cotton farmers billions of dollars in subsidies each year – amounting to over $31 billion in the last 10 years alone.
These subsidies distort the world price of cotton, meaning that millions of African cotton farmers are unable to get a fair price for their crop and struggle to make a living.
79 countries label the subsidies as ‘deplorable’ and some of them have even been ruled as illegal by the WTO.
Removing US subsidies could mean an extra $250 million for African producers who depend on cotton for their survival.
Click here to sign the petition, which will be submitted to the US Ambassador ahead of the WTO meeting this December.
Read the position paper on cotton and the WTO, prepared by Traidcraft and People Tree, and approved by World Fair Trade Organisation.
