Reuters:

Speaking after a two-day World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting on cotton, representatives of cotton producers said they believed the 2007 farm bill — an umbrella law that will set most U.S. agriculture policy for five years — could boost aid to American cotton farmers by up to 66 percent…

African governments and farmers blame cotton subsidies to producers in rich nations for flooding the market, driving down global prices and causing poor farmers to run at a loss.

Of course, Congress hasn’t written the 2007 farm bill yet, so these comments must refer to the USDA’s proposal, which means criticism may be premature.

This next paragraph strikes me as odd:

Brazil has already successfully attacked the U.S. cotton program, winning a landmark 2004 verdict at the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body that caused the United States to repeal certain export and import subsidies on cotton. But other U.S. assistance programs remain in place.

Where can I get more info about US cotton import subsidies? I had never heard of them before, and I’m slightly skeptical of their existence, given that most search results are copies of the Reuters piece.

Check out the blog dedicated to the 2007 Farm Bill, which has details of the Senate and House Agriculture Committees’ upcoming activities.