CERTAIN MEASURES OF INDIA PROVIDING MARKET PRICE SUPPORT TO COTTON

COMMUNICATION FROM THE UNITED STATES
PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 18.7 OF THE AGREEMENT ON AGRICULTURE

1  INDIA'S PROVISION OF SUBSTANTIAL MARKET PRICE SUPPORT FOR COTTON

1.1.  Using publicly-available sources, the United States has compiled data and information on India's market price support (MPS) for cotton. Further to Article 18.7 of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), the United States is providing this information to other Members in the interest of promoting transparency surrounding India's MPS policies. This document is for the purpose of discussion by World Trade Organization (WTO) Members. Some aspects were necessarily based on partial information.

1.2.  This document addresses marketing years (MY) 2010/11 through 2016/17^[1] – the marketing years covered by India's domestic support notifications G/AG/N/IND/13 (2016/17), G/AG/N/IND/12 (2014/15, 2015/16), G/AG/N/IND/11 (2013/14, 2012/13, and 2011/12) and the last of the years covered by India's domestic support notification G/AG/N/IND/10. Findings and calculations are presented in Part I of the present document. Explanation of the relevant methodology and findings, as well as preliminary discussion of their significance, can be found in Part II.

1.3.  This document is limited to the specific issues of India's MPS for cotton. The document does not attempt to identify the full value of India's Current Total Aggregate Measurement of Support (AMS) or even the full amount of product-specific domestic support provided for cotton. The limited scope of this document does not suggest that no additional product-specific support was provided for cotton in the relevant years, that MPS or other types of product-specific domestic support was not provided for other commodities, or that India did not provide non-de-minimis non-product specific domestic support during the covered years.