African cotton farmers' poverty laid at door of US

[Karmadillo]

Don't they understand massive subsidies are an essential part of free trade?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,993688,00.html

African leaders are expected to give George Bush's tour a rocky start today by blaming US trade practices for impoverishing millions of farmers across the continent.

The US president will be personally challenged for perhaps the first time over the huge subsidies to US cotton growers, a dispute which threatens to overshadow a trip intended to trumpet Washington's generosity to poor countries.

Mr Bush's five-day, five-nation tour will start in Senegal today with a visit to Goree Island, where in the 19th century slaves awaiting shipment to America were detained. His scheduled speech is to touch on democracy and race but there will be no apology for slavery, as some campaigners had wished.

For the seven African heads of state due to meet the president today it is a rare opportunity to bypass multilateral institutions and make a direct pitch for trade reform.

Mr Bush wants to publicise the compassionate side of Washington's aid and trade concessions but he is likely to be tackled several times about the $4bn (£2.42bn) subsidies that critics say help to ruin west African cotton farmers.

Yesterday South Africa warned that Mr Bush would also be confronted over other agricultural subsidies during talks in Pretoria tomorrow.

more...

[Sweetpea]

1. Well, lets see

how it is reported on the news.

[beanball]

2. Those cotton pickin southerners

don't you liebrall know that master bush gotta take care of his dixie friends, so you and I must pay for the cotton subsides for those good ole boys.Remember the rebel cry "the south shall rise again" well they have on the backs of the poor dumb mericans. Wake up America.

[I AM SPARTACUS]

4. actually, the West & Southwest account for about half of US production

www.cotton.org/econ/reports/presentation/Nov02.ppt

[Muddleoftheroad]

3. Food

Well, if they want to go after cotton, that's fine by me. But they'll hopefully point out a TON of food subsidies for the EU as well. Those subsidies are killing their traditional trading partners in Africa.