Textile executives from 10 Korean companies will tour the U.S. Cotton Belt on April 17-22. The executives will observe U.S. cotton production, processing and marketing and will meet with U.S. cotton exporters. This Cotton USA Korean Special Trade Mission is being conducted by Cotton Council International (CCI), the National Cotton Council’s export promotions arm.

Korea currently ranks as the sixth largest U.S. cotton importer, with current U.S. export commitments to Korea at 440,000 bales. The country imported 650,000 U.S. bales in the 2014-15 marketing year.

U.S. market share with the 10 participating Korean companies is estimated at 54 percent, and these mills are expected to consume about 1.1 million bales in 2015-16, representing 85 percent of Korea’s total cotton consumption. Many Korean textile mills also have textile investments outside of Korea, primarily in Vietnam, and those spinning mills consume some 390,000 bales, of which about 182,000 bales are from the United States.

“We hope this tour will provide these Korean executives with a better appreciation for U.S. cotton’s superior quality and our industry’s outstanding reputation for timely delivery so that their desire for using more U.S. cotton will increase,” said CCI President Keith Lucas.
The Korean delegation will begin its tour in New York with a CCI briefing. They will also see cotton research in North Carolina, tour the USDA cotton classing office in Bartlett, Tenn., and visit a farm in California’s San Joaquin Valley.