The cotton farmers in Africa are in very bad state. The reason for this is subsidies give by the US to the farmers. This has depressed the world prices. The African farmers want these subsidies scrapped but the United States has said rich nations can best respond to African concerns by agreeing on a global deal to open up agricultural markets and cut farm supports. In this regards the World Trade Organisation's
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| (WTO) Ministerial meeting will be held in Hong Kong next week. The WTO has already ruled U.S. cotton subsidies totaling some US $ 4 billion a year are illegal. African producers say these subsidies threaten the livelihoods of 10 to 15 million African farmers and their families. Farmers have to face large loss as they are forced to trade thousands of tonnes a year on the black market in neighbouring countries. Frustrated farmers had switched to growing corn and rice. 
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