Bangladeshi Textile Executives Tour US Cotton Belt

The Cotton Council International (CCI), the global marketing arm of the US cotton industry, promoting cotton fibre, fabric, and fashion, has announced that eleven key executives, from eleven different textile mills in Bangladesh, recently travelled to the US as part of the COTTON USA Special Trade Mission, which toured the US Cotton Belt.

The trip was an opportunity for them to learn more about why US cotton is the world’s preferred fibre. During the trip, they observed US cotton production, processing and marketing and met with US cotton exporters for the purpose of increasing their purchasing of US cotton.

The Bangladesh delegation began its tour in New York City with a seminar at ICE Futures. They then travelled to the Cotton Belt’s four major growing regions and met with members of industry organisations including: Cotton Incorporated, the National Cotton Council, USDA, Supima, as well as merchants and coops. They also had the opportunity to learn about US cotton production while visiting a local cotton farm in Lubbock, TX.

Bangladesh is currently the world’s largest importer of cotton, importing 6.2 million bales of cotton in 2015/16. According to Anwar-ul Alam Chowdhury, managing director of Argon Spinning LTD, Bangladesh will continue to play an important role in the global cotton industry, and he projects Bangladesh will import 11 million bales of cotton by 2021. Bangladesh currently stands as US cotton’s ninth largest market – with US export commitments there at more than half a million bales thus far in the 2016-17 marketing year.