Farm Bill Provisions On Cotton, GSM 102 May Help Mollify Brazil Demands

摘要

The version of the farm bill passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee yesterday (April 26) included last-minute alterations to the farm safety net for U.S. cotton growers and to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's General Sales Manager (GSM) 102 program, which provides loan guarantees that help U.S. agricultural exporters. At press time, however, it was not clear whether these changes would be enough to satisfy Brazil, which is watching the farm bill process closely and insisting that the U.S. use this legislative opportunity to come into compliance with its World Trade Organization obligations in these two areas.