Ten U.S. cotton organizations have pledged industry contributions in 2018 to support the demand-building activities of Cotton Council International (CCI), the National Cotton Council (NCC) export promotion arm, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
“Our growers believe that contributing to CCI is an investment in the future of our industry and ultimately is essential to our success,” Plains Cotton Growers Executive Vice President Steve Verett said. “The work they do is vital to helping ensure that the rest of the world knows why U.S. cotton is a superior product and worthy of sourcing. The fact that 80 percent of U.S. cotton is exported highlights the critical need for a healthy export market.”
U.S. cotton industry contributions help CCI to build export markets for U.S. cotton fiber, yarn and other cotton products, and are an invaluable supplement to the funding from the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service’s Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program. CCI is the largest recipient of MAP and FMD funding to promote U.S. cotton overseas.
CCI’s use of funds from USDA and U.S. cotton organizations has enabled it to build U.S. cotton export demand efficiently and to improve the economic returns of 18,500 cotton farms in the United States. CCI promotes U.S. cotton in more than 50 countries under its COTTON USA™ trademark. Last year alone, buyers and sellers throughout the global textile supply chain conducted more than 2,100 business meetings at COTTON USA events aimed at increasing exports of U.S. cotton.
“CCI showcases U.S. cotton’s quality, sustainability, transparency, premium value and innovation, all of which make U.S. cotton the cotton the world trusts,” CCI Executive Director Bruce Atherley said. “I’m a strong believer that every industry has to have ‘skin in the game’ to be successful. So, our U.S. cotton industry contributions are critical in making U.S. cotton the preferred fiber for mills, manufacturers, brands, retailers and consumers worldwide.”
Export markets are critical to the U.S. cotton industry, as nearly all cotton grown in the United States is exported either in the form of fiber or cotton yarn. And the United States has delivered —it’s the leading exporter of cotton fiber in the world currently with a 39 percent global share, more than three times the share of any other country. In the 2016 marketing year, the U.S. cotton industry exported 18.4 million bales of raw cotton fiber and cotton textiles. The 2016 marketing year was the second highest year of U.S. raw fiber exports, with exports reaching 14.9 million bales.
CCI thanks the following organizations for their support: the National Cotton Council; Cotton Incorporated; American Cotton Shippers Association; AMCOT; California Cotton Alliance; the Committee for Cotton Research; ICE Futures U.S.; Plains Cotton Growers, Inc.; Southern Cotton Growers, Inc.; Supima; and U.S. textile manufacturers.