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Extra-long staple cotton intake may top 3 m bales

G. Gurumurthy

COIMBATORE, Sept.17

WORLD consumption of extra-long staple (ELS) cotton is expected to exceed the three-million-bale-mark for the ensuing 2001-02 cotton marketing season.

The higher anticipated consumption will set the global ELS cotton output, its total off-take and the world export respectively to reach the highest levels in the last 8 years, according to Supima Association, the body promoting the America's extra-long s taple PIMA cotton.

Citing the International Cotton Advisory Committee's global cotton outlook, the Supima Association said the reasons contributing to the surge in ELS cotton consumption were the declining fibre prices, rising consumer preference for better quality home t extiles and increased competition in the more commodity-type coarse and medium count yarns. In an otherwise depressed textile market, mills were able to find some solace in the finer count.

The Supima Association said the total world consumption of ELS cotton would go up to 3.1 million bales (of 480 lb each) this year as against 2.82 million bales during the just ended 2000-01 cotton season. Entering the new marketing season with just 9 lak h bales as carryover stocks, the lowest in six years, the ELS cotton producing countries would respond to the tightening supply by producing more than 3 million bales (661000 tonnes) for the 2001-02 season.

The world export of ELS cotton was expected to go up to 1.4 million bales from the 1.1 million bales during 2000-01 season.

As far as the PIMA cotton is concerned, American ELS cotton producers are expected to add 5.93 lakh bales in the new crop season. Along with the beginning stocks of about 1.01 lakh bales, the US ELS cotton production would touch the 7 lakh bales.