[20141028]IF00057_WTO巴西-美国棉花案.pdf

October 28, 2014 The WTO Brazil-U.S. Cotton Case World Trade Organization (WTO) rules covering agricultural trade and domestic support programs for agriculture have played a large role in shaping current U.S. cotton policy. This paper summarizes cotton policy changes and how they came about in the so-called “WTO cotton case” brought by Brazil against U.S. cotton support programs. U.S. Cotton Relies on Government Support and International Markets The United States has historically been the worlds leading exporter of cotton, at times shipping nearly 80% of U.S. domestic production and supplying over 40% of the worlds cotton exports (Figure 1). Figure 1. U.S. Cotton Exports as Share of U.S. Cotton Production and World Cotton Trade Source: USDA. During periods of low market prices, U.S. cotton support programs have accounted for a large share of U.S. cotton receipts (Figure 2) In some yearsespecially between 1999 and 2010federal program outlays nearly reached or exceeded the market value of the U.S. cotton crop. U.S. Commitments in the WTO As a signatory member of the WTO, the United States has committed to abide by WTO rules and disciplinesincluding those that govern domestic farm po