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12/14/2005:

"At the end of the chain, the farmers who face ruin"

Seydou, dressed in a ripped T-shirt that hangs off his shoulders, looks blank when questioned about the effects of United States subsidies on his only source of income, cotton farming.

"I don't know about cotton in the US but I know cotton prices have fallen here in Burkina Faso," he says solemnly. The farmers working in the cotton fields of Burkina Faso, often in remote locations, have little knowledge of the intricacies of world markets. What they do know is the price they receive for their cotton harvests, essential for basic necessities such as medicines and school fees, is dropping fast.

The end of cotton farming in Burkina Faso and other cotton-producing west African countries is rapidly approaching. World cotton prices have dropped to a historic low because of the EU and US trade subsidies which have artificially distorted world markets.

...World cotton prices are in decline due to global over-production, fuelled by the agricultural subsidies. EU and US taxpayers and consumers pay farmers billions of dollars to overproduce products for a stagnant market. These surpluses are then dumped overseas, often in developing countries, destroying their markets and driving down world prices. The livelihood of West Africa's 12 million cotton farmers will soon be destroyed if subsidies are not slashed.
independent.co.uk