Washington DC (BBN)- With world cotton lint demand and supply for 2025/26 largely unchanged from last month — production at 25.43 million tonnes and consumption at 25.4 million tonnes — the key development is in ending stocks, projected to fall to their lowest level since 2011/12.
Global stocks are expected to decline 3.8% to 15.37 million tonnes, led by a sharp drawdown in China, according to the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) latest report, released on Wednesday.
China’s 2024/25 ending stocks fell 9% to 7.89 million tonnes, a reduction that also drove a 65% plunge in imports to 1.1 million tonnes.
For 2025/26, China has maintained its quota policy, allowing 200,000 tonnes of sliding tariff rate cotton imports for textile enterprises.
Outside China, stocks increased by 2.0% in 2024/25, with the United States reporting the largest gain — ending the season with a 9.0% rise to 817,000 tonnes. Brazil and West Africa also posted higher stock levels during the same period.
BBN/SSR/AD