Though the bing tuan is China's most efficient grower of cotton, thanks largely to its use of plastic strips (a Japanese invention) laid over the cotton seedlings to conserve moisture, it employs over 300, 000 workers for the harvest.

ECONOMIST: China

Moreover, America remains the world's second-largest grower of cotton (after China), and in many cases it still makes sense to weave near the farms, most of which are in such southern states as North Carolina and Mississippi, rather than to ship cotton abroad.

ECONOMIST: American textiles

Organic cotton from Turkey, the world's largest grower, sells for about 20% more than the conventional sort.

ECONOMIST: Organic clothing: How green is your wardrobe? | The

Mr. STEVE ELLIS (Member, Tax Payers for Commonsense): The reason why every agriculture entity from a citrus grower in Florida, to a rice farmer in Arkansas, to a rancher in Montana, to a cotton farmer in California, is getting this money, is because that's the way that you can get all the support.

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