The Growth of Cotton Exporting Countries in the World

Cotton is one of the major commercial crops where 70 percent of the crop is under rainfed conditions. Eighty-five percent of the cotton is grown in ten major countries of the world, among which India stands first in production. The present study analyzes the state-wise production scenario of cotton over the years as well as the export and import composition and competitiveness. The study revealed that the growth rate change of cotton area during the period was highest for the state of India (13,061 hectares out of a world area of 32,416 hectares). Moreover, the country as a whole had decreases of 24.51 million metric tonnes while India occupied first place with a production increase of about 5.84 million metric tonnes during the study period. The growth rate of the cotton consumption was negative, while the growth of cotton consumption was 23.79 million metric tonnes in the country, while China stands first with 31.53 percent of the world contribution. The export competitiveness revealed that India’s comparative advantage in cotton exports (second place of world exports) has been increasing over the years, and the imports of cotton also fully controlled to maintain sixth place of world imports during the period.