Representatives from Pakistani companies are touring the U.S. cotton belt. The tour is going on now through May 9. It’s put on by Cotton Council International (CCI), the National Cotton Council’s export promotions arm, and shows the key textile executives from 11 Pakistani companies the ins and outs of American cotton production, processing and marketing.
At this point in the 2014-15 marketing year (which ends on July 31, 2015), Pakistan ranks as the eighth largest U.S. cotton importer with current U.S. export commitments to Pakistan of 335,000 bales — up from 169,000 bales in the 2013-14 marketing year.
This trade mission’s 11 participating Pakistani companies collectively are expected to consume about 1.8 million bales in this marketing year of which 184,000 bales, or 10 percent, will be U.S. cotton.
CCI President Dahlen K. Hancock, a Ropesville, Texas, cotton producer, said, “We believe there is potential for even greater sales of U.S. cotton to this growing market. This event will enable CCI to provide some high level Pakistani textile manufacturing executives a better understanding of U.S. raw cotton’s merits including our fiber’s superior quality and our industry’s outstanding reputation for timely delivery.”
Stops on the tour include New York , cotton research in North Carolina, and meeting with exporters in the cotton belt’s four major regions.