USDA conducts annual review of cotton promotion program

USDA conducts annual review of cotton promotion program       The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service has started its annual review of the Cotton Research and Promotion Program.
   The agency seeks comments from the domestic cotton producers, as well as importers, to determine whether to continue the program without change, amend it, or rescind it altogether. Comments are due to the agency by Oct. 27.
   The purpose of the program is to help cotton growers and importers create, finance and coordinate a program for research and promotion of cotton. The program is coordinated by a 32-member board selected from the cotton industry.
   USDA funds the program through assessments on domestic and imported cotton. The current assessment is $1 per bale plus 0.5 percent of the value of the bale, and is collected on every bale of cotton harvested and ginned in the United States and on imported raw cotton and on the non-U.S. cotton content of imported textile and apparel products.