National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its annual Prospective Plantings Report, issued on March 29, estimated the planted area for all US cotton in 2018 is at 13.5 million acres, a 7 per cent increase over 2017.

Upland cotton area is estimated at 13.2 million acres, up 7 per cent from last year. American Pima/ELS cotton area is estimated to grow by 4 per cent to 262,000 acres. Acreage increases are projected in 15 of the 17 cotton producing states in the U.S. Only Louisiana, Mississippi and Virginia showed slight decreases. The largest state acreage estimates came from Texas (7.3 million acres) and Georgia (1.45 million acres). American Pima area is estimated at 262,000 acres, up 4 per cent from 2017.