During the period 2001/02 through 2006/07, seventeen countries raised their imports by 15.9 million bales, with China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Turkey accounting for 86 % of that growth. These countries have large labor supplies that make them conducive to expansion in textile processing with labor intensive, low wage jobs. .Cotton use in China and Bangladesh has nearly doubled in the past 6 years, whereas Pakistan’s use is up nearly 50 % and Turkey nearly 20 %. Among the other 13 countries are Egypt Of these, Vietnam had the most rapid growth in imports as use nearly doubled. Over the same period, imports in fifty countries dropped by 8 million bales for several reasons. In Europe (Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Poland) imports dropped by 21 % because cotton use has steadily declined. Falling imports in India were caused by increased production In the America’s, (Canada, Chile, and Venezuela) imports fell because of declining processing, but Mexico’s imports dropped off because production expanded. In Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, imports declined by 1.3 million bales because use was down as cotton processing moved to China Source: US Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service
Date:4/14/2008
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