Projects

The End of the Multifiber Arrangement, 2008

A conference organized by Farm Foundation and USDA’s Economic Research Service
Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2008
Washington, D.C.

Tthis conference examined how the ending of the Multifiber Arrangement (MFA) will impact the textile industry worldwide, and potential implications for cotton production, policy and trade. The MFA governed world trade in textiles for decades. MFA’s effective conclusion in 2005 has and continues to reshape world textile and fiber markets. Conference participants reviewed the impact of textile trade liberalization along the textile supply chain and discussed how these changes have affected textile exporters, textile importers, and the U.S. textile industry and communities. The implications for policy, as well as for world cotton markets, were explored, including those in China, India and the United States.

Program presentations are available below.

Session I: The End of the Multifiber Arrangement & Impacts on World Trade
Shifts in the Network of Fiber & Textile Trade in Response to Policy Change
Tom Vollrath, USDA  Economic Research Service

The Global Textile Industry After MFA
Bob Ankoshak, Globecotnews

China’s Experience Under the Multifiber Agreement & the Agreement on Textile and Clothing
Amit Khandalwal, New York University

Session II: Textiles & Cotton: Impacts on Developing Textile & Cotton Exporters
Bangladesh’s Experience after the End of the Multifiber Agreement
His Excellency, Mr. M. Humayan Kabir, Ambassdaor of Bangladesh

MFA: Impact on China’s Cotton and Agricutlural Policies
Francis Tuan, USDA Economic Research Service

The Cotton/Textile Scenario in India – Post MFA
David Collins, Cotton Council International

Structural Changes in the World Cotton Market Linked to the End of MFA Quotas
Alejandro Plastina, International Cotton Advisory Committee

Session III: U.S. Textile and Cotton Policies in the Post-MFA World
U.S. Textile Trade Policy in a Post-Quota World
Matt Priest, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Textiles and Apparel

Brazil’s WTO Challenge Against U.S. Cotton Programs
Carol Goodloe, USDA Office of the Chief Economist

U.S. Farm and Cotton Policy in the Post-MFA World
Joe Outlaw, Texas A&M University

Session IV: Adjustment by U.S. Communities to Changing Trade
Recent Employment Trends in the Textiles and Apparel Industries
Steve Hipple, Bureau of Labor Statistics

A Federal Response to Trade Affected Worker Dislocation in the Textile Industry
Terry Clark, U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration

Vanishing Routine Jobs: The end of the Apparel and Textile Era
Tim Kestner, Virginia Employment Commission

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