World cotton production is projected to increase by 10 per cent during 2017-18. Higher cotton prices during 2016-17 and better cotton price ratios to other competing crops during the 2017 planting campaign resulted in an expansion of cotton area by an estimated three million hectares.

The US will have the largest gain in production at 23 per cent. Production is projected to increase in all other major producing countries including India, China, Pakistan, Brazil, Francophone Africa and Turkey.

Global cotton mill use is projected to increase at an improved growth rate of 2.7 per cent reaching 25.2 million tons. In comparison, during 2016-17, world cotton mill use grew by 1.6 per cent. Mill use in China is projected to grow by 1.5 per cent. Cotton mill use is also projected to grow moderately in India, Pakistan, Turkey, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Brazil.

In 2017-18, world trade is projected stable at eight million tons and the US will remain the largest exporter, accounting for 40 per cent of world shipments. Bangladesh will remain the largest importer, accounting for 18 per cent of world imports. Because world production is projected to edge over mill use, world ending stocks could increase moderately with the stocks to use ratio remaining little changed.