General Council Meeting
December 16-18, 2020
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Statement by India – Delivered by Ambassador & PR to the WTO
Agenda Item 4: Action Plan to Enhance Support for Cotton By-Product Development in LDCs – Draft General Council Declaration – Communication from Burkina Faso on Behalf of the C4 and Cote D'ivoire (WT/GC/W/808)
India thanks Burkina Faso, other Members and C4 and Cote D’ivoire for the draft declaration. We also thank DDG Wolff for his report.
- India has been engaging meaningfully in providing assistance to strengthen both the agriculture and textile part of the cotton value chain in Africa. India implemented a US$ 2.85 million Cotton Technical Assistance Programme in 6 African countries, namely - Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda over a period of 7 years from 2012-2018. The programme included a training and capacity building component, as well as a component related to the creation of infrastructure related to the cotton value chain.
- At the Partners’ Conference held on the first World Cotton Day, held on 7 October 2019, India committed to the second phase of the Cotton Technical Assistance Programme based on the success of Cotton TAP-1. In its second phase, the programme shall remain expanded in size and coverage, and cover five additional countries, namely Mali, Ghana, Togo, Zambia and Tanzania. The Cotton TAP programme will thus cover a total of 11 African countries including the C4.
- In the same spirit of South-South cooperation, India supports the draft General Council declaration in document WT/GC/W/808 regarding Action Plan to enhance support for cotton by-product development in LDCs.
Thank you, Chair.
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