World Market
The history of cotton production
Several countries claim to be the real origin of the cotton fibre. In fact the genetic history of the nowadays cotton plant can be traced back to different continents.
Major facts of these historical backgrounds are explained here
The cotton production worldwide
With worldwide annual production of some 25 million tonnes of cotton fibre grown in some 35 countries, cotton is among the most important commodities in international trade.
Millions of people around the world are dependant on cotton production and its processing. Different to other crops it is grown on large farms as well as on smallholdings.
Most relevant data and production figures are summarized here
Cotton processing
East and Southeast Asian countries are not only the largest cotton producers, they also account for the bulk of the worldwide textile industry. read more
The variety of cotton products
Everybody knows cotton as relevant textile fibre, but actually its uses are much more flexible. Some things of everyday use contain cotton or its by-products some of them may be in your kitchen or passes through your hands every day.
An overview is given here
The cotton market prices
As internationally traded commodity cotton is subject to a high volatility in price thereby influencing the livelihood of cotton farmers, processors, traders and textile mills. Given the fact that there are a lot of different fibre qualities, one may wonder how an international price fixing can be realized. About cotton market prices and their origin you can read more
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