---
kind: "section"
citation: "7 U.S.C. § 8738"
title: "7"
title_heading: "Agriculture"
number: "8738"
heading: "Special competitive provisions for extra long staple cotton"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/7/8738"
units:
  - "Chapter 113 — Agricultural Commodity Support Programs"
  - "Subchapter II — Marketing Assistance Loans and Loan Deficiency Payments"
---

# §8738. Special competitive provisions for extra long staple cotton

- (a) **Competitiveness program—** Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act through July 31, 2013, the [Secretary](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-2) shall carry out a program—
  - (1) to maintain and expand the domestic use of [extra long staple cotton](/usc/7/8702.md?p=7) produced in the [United States](/usc/7/8702.md?p=17);
  - (2) to increase exports of [extra long staple cotton](/usc/7/8702.md?p=7) produced in the [United States](/usc/7/8702.md?p=17); and
  - (3) to ensure that [extra long staple cotton](/usc/7/8702.md?p=7) produced in the [United States](/usc/7/8702.md?p=17) remains competitive in world [markets](/usc/7/198.md?p=1).
- (b) **Payments under program; trigger—** Under the program, the [Secretary](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-2) shall make payments available under this section whenever—
  - (1) for a consecutive 4-week period, the world [market](/usc/7/198.md?p=1) price for the lowest priced competing growth of [extra long staple cotton](/usc/7/8702.md?p=7) (adjusted to [United States](/usc/7/8702.md?p=17) quality and location and for other factors affecting the competitiveness of such cotton), as determined by the [Secretary](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-2), is below the prevailing [United States](/usc/7/8702.md?p=17) price for a competing growth of [extra long staple cotton](/usc/7/8702.md?p=7); and
  - (2) the lowest priced competing growth of [extra long staple cotton](/usc/7/8702.md?p=7) (adjusted to [United States](/usc/7/8702.md?p=17) quality and location and for other factors affecting the competitiveness of such cotton), as determined by the [Secretary](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-2), is less than 134 percent of the loan rate for [extra long staple cotton](/usc/7/8702.md?p=7).
- (c) **Eligible recipients—** The [Secretary](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-2) shall make payments available under this section to domestic users of [extra long staple cotton](/usc/7/8702.md?p=7) produced in the [United States](/usc/7/8702.md?p=17) and exporters of [extra long staple cotton](/usc/7/8702.md?p=7) produced in the [United States](/usc/7/8702.md?p=17) that enter into an agreement with the Commodity Credit Corporation to participate in the program under this section.
- (d) **Payment amount—** Payments under this section shall be based on the amount of the difference in the prices referred to in [subsection (b)(1)](#b-1) during the fourth week of the consecutive 4-week period multiplied by the amount of documented purchases by domestic users and sales for export by exporters made in the week following such a consecutive 4-week period.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 110–234, title I, § 1208, May 22, 2008, 122 Stat. 963; Pub. L. 110–246, § 4(a), title I, § 1208, June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664, 1692.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

The date of enactment of this Act, referred to in subsec. (a), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–246, which was approved June 18, 2008.

### Codification

Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 enacted identical sections. Pub. L. 110–234 was repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Enactment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234 by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as a note under section 8701 of this title.