COTTON AND WOOL OUTLOOK March 13, 1998 March 1998, CWS-0198 Approved by the World Agricultural Outlook Board -------------------------------------------------------------------------- COTTON AND WOOL OUTLOOK is issued five times a year by the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20036- 5831. Electronic release only; no printed copies available. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Cotton Supply and Demand Overview The 1997 U.S. cotton crop remains estimated at 18.98 million bales (upland--18.4 million and ELS--537,000), similar to last year's production. And with beginning stocks at nearly 4 million bales, total U.S. cotton supplies for the 1997/98 season are estimated at 23 million bales, the highest in 3 years. However, total use is currently projected at 19 million bales, also the highest since 1994. Based on these estimates, U.S. ending stocks are forecast at 4 million bales, nearly identical to the beginning level and a stocks-to-use ratio of 21 percent. India's Production and Consumption Down Foreign consumption in 1997/98 is expected to be smaller than a year earlier following revisions to Indian production and consumption this month. Foreign consumption is expected to decline 400,000 bales from a year ago to 77.1 million. Foreign production in 1997/98 is expected to rise 800,000 bales from a year earlier to 71.1 million. Much smaller foreign imports compared with last season are forecast for 1997/98, and foreign ending stocks are forecast to rise compared with a year earlier. Foreign imports are projected at 26.8 million bales in 1997/98, 1.6 million lower than in 1996/97. Foreign ending stocks are forecast at 34 million bales in 1997/98, 1.6 million higher than in 1996/97. With India's production now forecast 2.1 million bales lower in 1997/98 compared with a year earlier, tighter stocks are expected to compound the difficulty Indian textile producers have begun to face due to reduced yarn exports to Southeast Asia. Cotton consumption in India surged upwards at an 8-percent annual rate during 1992-96 as economic reforms spurred exports and domestic economic growth. This year, untimely rains in northern and central India are now believed to have reduced Indias crop substantially, and USDA's forecast for India's 1997/98 crop was reduced by 1.1 million bales this month to 11.7 million. With tighter supplies, India's forecast consumption, exports, and stocks were also reduced, while imports were raised. India's consumption in 1997/98 is now projected at 12.8 million bales, down 200,000 from a year earlier. At 800,000 bales, India's 1997/98 imports are now forecast to be the nation's highest since 1960/61. About 20 percent of India's cotton yarn production has been exported in recent years, and Southeast Asia has been a major market. The economic difficulties Southeast Asia has faced during 1997/98 continued to be a factor in March, and expected raw cotton imports and consumption by Indonesia and Thailand were reduced by about 100,000 bales each from February's estimates. Southeast Asia's consumption in 1997/98 is now forecast at 3.7 million bales, about 800,000 bales lower than a year earlier. Similarly, Southeast Asia's imports in 1997/98 are now forecast at 3.6 million bales, about 1 million lower than a year ago. China's Production and Stocks Higher In China, consumption in 1997/98 is forecast slightly higher than the year before, at 21.5 million bales, and imports are forecast substantially lower, at 2.2 million bales. Neither of these forecasts changed in March: the consumption forecast has been unchanged since October and the import forecast since November. On the one hand, government pronouncements from China have indicated policies that suggest prospects for China's consumption and imports could weaken during the rest of calendar 1998. On the other hand, data through January 1998 for both yarn production and raw cotton imports suggest a level of activity to date consistent with both USDA's current forecasts for the entire year and an assumption of reduced activity during the remaining months of the year. The forecast for China's ending stocks increased slightly as estimated 1997/98 cotton production was raised 200,000 bales to 19.7 million. China's State Statistical Bureau (SSB) recently published a confirmation of its earlier production estimate of about 19.75 million bales. Since the SSB's published estimate is actually rounded to the nearest 100,000 metric tons, USDA adopted the nearest bale-equivalent rounded to 100,000 bales. With the increase in estimated production, China's 1997/98 cotton yield is now estimated to be a record. While insect pressure drove China's yields down in the early 1990's, production has shifted to higher yielding regions and efforts to combat insect pests have helped yields rebound in other regions. Foreign ending stocks in 1997/98 are expected to reach their highest since 1985/86, in large part due to China. China's 1997/98 ending stocks are forecast about 400,000 bales higher than the year before, the largest gain forecast for any country. However, comparable, albeit slightly smaller, gains are forecast for Argentina, Australia, and Uzbekistan. Even excluding China's growing stocks, foreign ending stocks are forecast to rise substantially, reaching their highest levels since 1992/93. Excluding China, foreign stocks as a share of consumption are expected to rise from 31 percent to 33 percent. U.S. Exports and Mill Use Remain Strong U.S. cotton export sales and shipments have continued their strong pace through early March. As a result, the 1997/98 U.S. export forecast was increased 200,000 bales to 7.5 million this month, 9 percent above 1996/97. As of March 5, export commitments had already reached the 7.5-million-bale estimate, while shipments totaled 4.3 million. And with 21 weeks remaining in 1997/98, U.S. cotton exports will need to average roughly 150,000 statistical bales per week to reach the latest forecast. And despite the economic difficulties in Southeast Asia, U.S. cotton sales and shipments to the global market are expected to remain relatively strong during the remaining 5 months of the marketing year as a result of the GSM-102 credit program and the "Step 2" competitiveness program. Because of these programs, the United States is expected to capture a larger than normal share of the global export market. Currently, the U.S. export share is projected to reach 28.5 percent in 1997/98, compared with a solid 25.9 percent last season. Following the strength of the economy, U.S. cotton mill use is forecast to reach 11.5 million bales in 1997/98, 3 percent above 1996/97 and similar to the record levels of the early 1940's. Abundant supplies of cotton at lower prices this season, as well as the strong retail demand for cotton products in the United States and abroad, has provided the positive outlook for cotton mill demand. Based on the first half of 1997/98, data from the Department of Commerce indicate that cotton mill use totaled 5.76 million bales, compared with 5.56 million during the first 6 months of 1996/97. While cotton mill use has risen 3.5 percent from last season, manmade fiber use has held stable, enabling cotton to capture a larger share on the cotton spinning system. Based on the first half of 1997/98, cotton's share has improved to 78.8 percent, compared with 78.2 percent recorded for the entire 1996/97 season and the highest in 30 years. U.S. Fiber Consumption Jumps in 1997 Total fiber mill use and domestic consumption increased in calendar 1997 after 2 years of decline. Mill use of all fibers approached 16.7 billion pounds, with manmade fibers and cotton accounting for roughly two-thirds and one-third, respectively. Mill use of wool, flax, and silk, which actually declined in 1997, totaled less than 2 percent. However, each fiber showed an increase when textile trade was included. U.S. domestic consumption (mill use plus net textile trade) expanded in 1997 to nearly 22 billion pounds. Manmade fibers contributed 56 percent, while cotton rose to nearly 40 percent of the total. Wool, flax, and silk accounted for the remaining 4 percent. In addition, per capita fiber consumption rebounded in 1997. U.S. domestic consumption of all fibers reached a new record in 1997 of 82 pounds per person, nearly 5 pounds above 1996 and 2 pounds higher than the previous record set in 1994. Once again, manmade fiber accounts for the largest share. In 1997, per capita consumption of manmade fiber approached 46 pounds. On the other hand, per capita consumption of cotton rose nearly 3 pounds in 1997 to 32.5 pounds, the highest in over 50 years. Textile Trade Deficit Widens in 1997 U.S. textile imports totaled 761 million pounds (raw-fiber equivalent) last December, 7 percent above a month earlier and 21 percent above a year earlier. Total imports of all major fibers except wool were higher than a month earlier. Similarly imports of major end-uses except home furnishings were higher in December. Yarn, thread, and fabric imports rose 15 percent to 203 million pounds and apparel imports, at 482 million, were 4 percent above November. December textile exports declined from a month earlier, totaling 313 million pounds. Although 17 percent below November, exports were 22 percent above a year ago. Total exports declined in each major end-use category and for all fiber types. Cotton textile exports declined to 128 million pounds, the lowest since January 1997. Manmade fiber exports fell to 158 million pounds, also the smallest shipment since January 1997. Total 1997 textile imports reached 9.6 billion pounds, nearly 1.6 billion pounds (21 percent) above 1996. Similarly, textile exports totaled 4.3 billion pounds, a gain of 893 million pounds (26 percent) from a year ago. Both textile imports and exports were records in 1997. The total textile trade deficit reached 5.3 billion pounds in 1997, compared with 4.5 billion in 1996 and 4.7 billion in 1995. Cotton accounted for 62 percent (3.3 billion pounds) of the deficit. Twenty-five percent of the deficit was attributable to manmade fibers, while 4 percent came from wool textiles. The remaining 9 percent came from linen and silk textiles, with the former accounting for 8 percent. Sheep and Goat Inventories Continue To Decline The sheep and lamb inventory in the United States on January 1, 1998, totaled 7.6 million head, down 4 percent from 1997 and 10 percent below 2 years ago. Breeding sheep inventory, at 5.5 million head, declined 5 percent since January 1, 1997. Ewes 1 year and older declined 6 percent to 4.5 million head. Similarly, the inventory of Angora goats declined 24 percent to 855,000 head on January 1, 1998. This inventory level was the lowest since statistics have been collected. The Angora inventory in Texas declined 250,000 head (25 percent) in 1997 to 750,000. The number of operations with sheep during 1997 totaled 74,710, down 4 percent from 1996 and 8 percent below 1995. States with a drop of 300 or more sheep operations included Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. Six States, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, and North Carolina, had more sheep operations in 1997 than in 1996. Operators with less than 100 head of sheep accounted for 91 percent of all farms, compared with 92 percent in 1996. Operations with 500-4,999 head accounted for nearly 43 percent of the inventory, compared with 40 percent a year earlier. Wool production in 1997 is currently estimated at 28 million pounds, clean. Final 1997 wool production will be released by USDA on March 26. Actual 1997 production will likely be the lowest on record and about half the level of the early 1980's. Despite lower production, raw wool imports increased only 1 percent (1 million pounds) to 76.4 million pounds, clean. Stagnant import demand was due to continued weakness in wool mill consumption. Preliminary estimates of 1997 mill use indicated consumption declined 1 percent below a year earlier to 121.9 million pounds, clean. This was the lowest mill use since 1985. Raw wool exports, at 4.7 million pounds, were 21 percent below 1996 shipments. As a result of lower offtake, ending stocks are forecast at 45.8 million pounds, clean, nearly 8 percent above the beginning level. * * * The next Cotton and Wool Outlook (CWS-0298) will be released on May 13. For further information, contact Leslie Meyer at (202) 694-5307 (U.S. Cotton); Steve MacDonald at (202) 694-5305 (Foreign Cotton); or Robert Skinner at (202) 694-5313 (Textiles and Wool). * * * * * * * * N O T I C E * * * * * * * * Because of resource constraints, ERS will publish only 5 issues of this report in 1998. Reports will be released in March, May, July, August, and November. We will continue to publish the Cotton and Wool Yearbook, which will be released in late November. During the months when the Cotton and Wool Outlook are not published, selected tables from the report will be updated and posted on the ERS web site (http://www.econ.ag.gov) with Cotton and Wool Outlook and other publications relating to cotton. If you have questions or comments about this change in our schedule, please contact Joy Harwood, Chief, Field Crops Branch (202-694-5310;jharwood@econ.ag.gov) or Fred Surls, Outlook Program Coordinator (202-694-5320; fsurls@econ.ag.gov). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * U.S. COTTON SUPPLY AND USE ESTIMATES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997/98 ---------------------------- Item 1996/97 Jan Feb Mar ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Upland: Million acres Planted 14.38 13.57 13.57 13.57 Harvested 12.61 13.03 13.03 13.03 Pounds Yield/harvested acre 701 679 679 679 Million 480-lb. bales Beginning stocks 2.54 3.92 3.92 3.92 Production 18.41 18.44 18.44 18.44 Total supply 1/ 21.36 22.38 22.38 22.38 Mill use 11.02 11.29 11.39 11.39 Exports 6.40 6.88 6.88 7.08 Total use 17.42 18.17 18.27 18.47 Ending stocks 3.92 4.24 4.14 3.94 Percent Stocks-to-use ratio 22.5 23.3 22.6 21.3 Extra-long staple: 1,000 acres Planted 258 252 252 252 Harvested 256 251 251 251 Pounds Yield/harvested acre 991 1,027 1,027 1,027 1,000 480-lb. bales Beginning stocks 66 51 51 51 Production 529 537 537 537 Total supply 1/ 595 588 588 588 Mill use 106 110 110 110 Exports 466 425 425 425 Total use 572 535 535 535 Ending stocks 51 63 63 63 Percent Stocks-to-use ratio 8.9 11.8 11.8 11.8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Based on USDA estimates. 1/ Includes imports. WORLD COTTON SUPPLY AND USE ESTIMATES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997/98 ------------------------------ Item 1996/97 Jan Feb Mar ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Supply: Million 480-lb. bales Beginning stocks World 33.81 36.40 36.35 36.32 Foreign 31.20 32.43 32.38 32.35 Production World 89.25 90.88 91.00 90.08 Foreign 70.31 71.90 72.02 71.11 Imports World 28.79 26.89 26.83 26.82 Foreign 28.38 26.87 26.82 26.81 Use: Mill use World 88.63 89.18 89.30 88.62 Foreign 77.51 77.78 77.80 77.12 Exports World 26.53 26.43 26.25 26.34 Foreign 19.67 19.13 18.95 18.84 Ending stocks World 36.32 38.29 38.34 37.98 Foreign 32.35 33.99 34.14 33.98 Stocks-to-use ratio Percent World 41.0 42.9 42.9 42.9 Foreign 41.7 43.7 43.9 44.1 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Based on USDA estimates. FIBER SUPPLY ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 1998 1997 ----------------- Item Nov Dec Jan Jan ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cotton: 1,000 480-lb. bales Ginnings 6,808 3,095 601 651 Imports since August 1 2.4 2.6 NA 396.0 Stocks, beginning 8,133 13,479 14,919 14,372 At mills 589 589 588 577 Public storage 6,723 11,113 12,356 11,652 CCC stocks 461 1,024 2,092 2,497 Manmade: Million pounds Production 787.9 858.9 874.4 928.8 Noncellulosic 757.6 829.6 840.4 886.1 Cellulosic 30.3 29.3 34.0 42.7 Total since January 1 9,490.4 10,349.3 874.4 928.8 1997 1996 ----------------------------- Oct Nov Dec Dec ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Million pounds Raw fiber imports 129.5 113.6 122.8 105.3 Noncellulosic 121.3 105.5 114.7 98.2 Cellulosic 8.2 8.1 8.1 7.1 Total since January 1 1,122.9 1,236.5 1,359.3 1,164.3 Wool and Mohair: 1,000 pounds Raw wool imports, clean 8,529 7,255 8,584 5,112 48's-and-finer 6,341 5,438 7,069 3,497 Not-finer-than-46's 2,188 1,818 1,515 1,615 Total since January 1 60,606 67,862 76,446 75,370 Wool top imports 517 191 199 163 Total since January 1 2,139 2,331 2,530 3,597 Mohair imports, clean 1 0 0 0 Total since January 1 1 1 1 43 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NA = Not available. COTTON SYSTEM FIBER CONSUMPTION ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 1998 1997 ----------------- Item Nov Dec Jan Jan ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cotton: 1,000 480-lb. bales All consumed by mills 1/ 881 882 978 996 Total since August 1 1/ 3,895 4,777 5,755 5,562 SA annual rate 2/ 11,572 11,972 11,535 11,238 SA daily rate 2/ 44.3 45.9 44.2 43.1 Daily rate 44.0 38.3 44.5 43.3 Upland consumed by mills 1/ 872 873 968 987 Total since August 1 1/ 3,859 4,732 5,701 5,511 SA annual rate 2/ 11,464 11,871 11,419 11,136 SA daily rate 2/ 43.9 45.5 43.7 42.7 Daily rate 43.6 38.0 44.0 42.9 1,000 Spindles Spindles in place 5,555 5,558 5,512 5,779 Active spindles 5,271 5,246 5,204 5,441 100 percent cotton 2,625 2,609 2,606 2,587 100 percent manmade 849 828 819 934 Blends 1,797 1,809 1,779 1,920 Percent Cotton's share of fibers 78.8 79.6 78.4 77.9 Manmade: 1,000 pounds Total consumed by mills 1/ 113,673 108,592 129,628 135,721 Total since August 1 1/ 506,021 614,613 744,242 745,263 Daily rate 5,684 4,721 5,892 5,901 Noncellulosic staple 5,085 4,341 5,403 5,394 Cellulosic staple 599 380 489 507 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Adjusted to calendar month. 2/ SA = seasonally adjusted. FIBER EXPORTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 1996 -------------------------- Item Oct Nov Dec Dec ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cotton: 1,000 480-lb. bales Upland exports 382 549 721 838 Total since August 1 1,113 1,662 2,383 2,028 Sales for next season 8 8 147 14 Total since August 1 82 89 236 118 ELS exports 18.6 32.3 53.2 60.3 Total since August 1 43.9 76.2 129.5 147.7 Sales for next season 4.5 2.4 2.4 8.0 Total since August 1 6.3 8.7 11.1 17.0 Manmade: Million pounds Raw fiber exports 100.6 93.3 80.9 105.3 Noncellulosic 95.6 83.9 75.6 98.2 Cellulosic 5.0 9.4 5.3 7.1 Total since January 1 878.6 971.9 1,052.8 1,164.3 Wool and Mohair: 1,000 pounds Raw wool exports, clean 225.5 102.8 167.9 295.8 Total since January 1 4,461.2 4,564.0 4,731.9 5,715.3 Wool top exports 1,096.0 681.3 808.0 795.7 Total since January 1 6,337.8 7,433.8 8,241.8 12,118.9 Mohair exports, clean 115.3 106.5 393.5 0 Total since January 1 1,388.7 1,495.2 1,888.7 3,539.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FIBER PRICES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 1998 1997 --------------- Item Dec Jan Feb Feb ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Domestic cotton prices: Cents per pound Adjusted world price 60.41 57.49 54.69 65.96 Mar'98 futures 67.84 66.21 65.69 77.66 Oct'98 futures 72.35 70.96 70.79 77.37 Upland spot 41-34 64.57 62.75 63.66 70.53 Pima spot 03-46 101.79 101.70 99.47 113.50 Avg. price received by: Upland producers 63.80 60.80 61.10 68.20 Mill delivered: Cotton Actual 71.57 69.45 69.48 77.68 Raw fiber equivalent 79.52 77.17 77.20 86.31 Rayon staple Actual 115.00 115.00 115.00 115.00 Raw fiber equivalent 119.79 119.79 119.79 119.79 Polyester staple Actual 71.00 71.00 71.00 70.00 Raw fiber equivalent 73.96 73.96 73.96 72.92 Price ratios Percent Cotton/rayon 66.4 64.4 64.4 72.1 Cotton/polyester 107.5 104.3 104.4 118.4 Northern Europe cotton quotes: Cents per pound A Index 74.68 71.04 68.68 80.45 Memphis Territory 77.33 75.19 74.50 82.50 California/Arizona 79.08 76.94 76.25 83.88 B Index 71.42 69.03 66.96 74.34 Orleans/Texas 72.50 70.13 69.25 77.94 Wool prices (clean): Dollars per pound U.S. 56's 1.50 1.42 1.25 1.30 Australian 56's 1/ 1.87 1.81 1.71 1.87 U.S. 60's 1.85 1.79 1.54 1.52 Australian 60's 1/ 2.01 1.87 1.87 1.95 U.S. 64's 2.60 2.36 1.95 1.90 Australian 64's 1/ 2.40 2.18 2.25 2.61 --------------------------------------------------------------------- NQ = No quotes. 1/ In bond, Charleston, SC. U.S. TEXTILE TRADE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 1996 ------------------------------- Item Oct Nov Dec Dec ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Imports: 1,000 pounds 1/ Yarn, thread, and fabric 225,191 176,923 202,649 177,415 Cotton 91,928 76,425 86,988 77,459 Linen 33,609 17,188 25,089 20,811 Wool 5,340 3,868 4,157 3,224 Silk 914 842 911 772 Manmade 93,400 78,600 85,504 75,149 Apparel 632,280 462,710 482,140 392,029 Cotton 349,638 270,236 288,843 231,237 Linen 16,754 12,025 12,816 10,477 Wool 28,746 16,161 12,308 11,076 Silk 12,962 9,204 11,680 10,091 Manmade 224,182 155,085 156,493 129,148 Home furnishings 52,950 44,047 43,978 30,877 Cotton 37,917 32,937 32,932 21,480 Linen 95 118 291 223 Wool 212 214 172 139 Silk 44 22 54 25 Manmade 14,683 10,756 10,530 9,009 Floor coverings 29,406 22,892 25,461 23,175 Cotton 4,463 2,897 3,927 4,067 Linen 3,570 2,875 3,239 2,785 Wool 7,690 6,913 7,825 7,117 Silk 404 306 389 402 Manmade 13,278 9,900 10,082 8,804 Total imports 2/ 946,655 712,095 760,892 630,080 Cotton 487,061 385,091 416,075 337,909 Linen 54,079 32,228 41,458 34,324 Wool 42,236 27,279 24,587 21,640 Silk 14,326 10,375 13,034 11,291 Manmade 348,953 257,123 265,739 224,916 Exports: 1,000 pounds 1/ Yarn, thread, and fabric 180,048 169,655 146,680 110,126 Cotton 57,201 55,064 48,916 37,416 Linen 4,714 4,334 4,227 3,196 Wool 4,664 4,802 3,783 3,235 Silk 2,081 1,761 1,552 1,229 Manmade 111,388 103,694 88,202 65,050 Apparel 164,293 159,298 122,612 112,896 Cotton 98,852 94,379 72,146 68,667 Linen 2,081 1,835 1,363 2,078 Wool 7,661 8,608 5,947 5,771 Silk 3,663 4,557 3,444 2,045 Manmade 52,037 49,918 39,712 34,336 Home furnishings 9,410 9,038 6,477 5,764 Cotton 5,370 5,183 3,783 3,347 Linen 327 488 308 268 Wool 146 206 146 95 Silk 183 232 150 162 Manmade 3,384 2,929 2,090 1,893 Floor coverings 42,204 39,150 36,882 26,683 Cotton 4,076 3,871 3,522 2,779 Linen 2,253 2,215 2,029 1,091 Wool 3,776 3,479 3,199 1,213 Silk 160 151 148 --- Manmade 31,938 29,434 27,983 21,600 Total exports 2/ 396,271 377,506 312,892 255,777 Cotton 165,577 158,590 128,433 112,254 Linen 9,383 8,883 7,934 6,642 Wool 16,263 17,112 13,088 10,330 Silk 6,087 6,702 5,294 3,435 Manmade 198,961 186,221 158,142 123,115 --------------------------------------------------------------------- --- = An absence of trade. 1/ Raw fiber equivalent. 2/ Includes headgear. U.S. COTTON TEXTILE IMPORTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 1996 --------------------------- Country Oct Nov Dec Dec ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1,000 pounds 1/ North America 189,542 161,530 171,049 118,421 Canada 14,540 14,807 11,985 8,173 Costa Rica 10,635 9,014 8,555 7,288 Dominican Republic 19,345 14,980 20,560 12,996 El Salvador 13,383 10,359 12,725 9,637 Guatemala 8,366 6,578 7,486 6,858 Haiti 2,354 1,975 2,419 1,150 Honduras 26,008 23,141 26,383 17,931 Jamaica 8,393 6,203 7,361 7,319 Mexico 83,411 71,915 70,993 44,898 Nicaragua 2,678 2,202 2,200 1,674 South America 7,646 6,459 8,863 8,509 Argentina 350 28 123 7 Brazil 2,720 2,395 3,947 3,375 Chile 142 125 97 257 Columbia 2,013 1,861 2,227 2,836 Peru 2,033 1,775 1,996 1,745 Europe 30,165 22,008 21,382 21,241 Estonia 841 752 818 925 France 729 528 704 639 Germany 765 579 673 728 Italy 2,688 2,783 3,218 3,245 Portugal 5,481 4,071 2,281 1,713 Russia 934 1,089 675 1,129 Spain 807 551 1,151 967 Turkey 13,293 7,451 7,643 7,895 United Kingdom 1,055 1,073 911 946 Asia 236,098 176,688 195,148 179,742 Bahrain 1,058 758 810 779 Bangladesh 18,232 11,691 12,250 9,821 China 30,962 21,496 21,876 26,677 Hong Kong 29,872 26,612 26,178 25,046 India 29,873 19,528 23,633 26,911 Indonesia 18,711 13,070 12,141 11,646 Israel 2,135 1,539 1,999 2,031 Japan 1,062 786 856 1,104 Macao 5,316 3,704 4,563 3,774 Malaysia 5,334 4,070 4,546 3,880 Nepal 692 655 1,209 850 Oman 1,384 1,482 1,564 1,663 Pakistan 30,881 25,672 30,950 18,473 Philippines 9,851 7,898 8,529 7,789 Qatar 1,192 792 1,209 1,228 Singapore 2,406 1,660 2,276 1,518 South Korea 7,073 5,111 5,589 5,604 Sri Lanka 7,630 4,808 6,433 7,049 Taiwan 13,107 9,351 9,652 10,954 Thailand 10,807 9,234 11,203 8,578 U Arab Em 2,310 1,398 2,018 2,001 Oceania 1,931 1,470 1,794 1,025 Australia 908 724 1,063 347 Fiji 791 610 499 483 Africa 14,921 11,278 13,085 7,997 Egypt 6,561 5,577 6,461 3,718 Lesotho 1,492 1,405 1,826 1,140 Mauritius 2,100 1,522 1,510 1,043 Morocco 829 892 1,011 609 South Africa 1,628 808 671 801 Tunisia 148 65 44 104 World 2/ 487,061 385,091 416,075 337,909 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Raw fiber equivalent. Totals may not add due to rounding. U.S. COTTON TEXTILE EXPORTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 1996 ----------------------------- Country Oct Nov Dec Dec ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1,000 pounds 1/ North America 135,492 128,133 100,293 86,096 Canada 28,163 26,194 20,388 15,186 Costa Rica 9,085 8,978 7,323 5,829 Dominican Republic 14,319 17,135 9,882 9,115 El Salvador 5,337 5,726 3,532 2,990 Guatemala 3,718 4,174 2,997 4,349 Haiti 1,745 2,133 2,178 823 Honduras 15,054 16,316 12,292 12,614 Jamaica 6,518 5,807 4,111 6,018 Mexico 49,932 39,974 36,283 28,041 South America 5,996 5,341 4,194 3,833 Argentina 321 354 284 173 Brazil 959 677 361 671 Chile 925 914 626 480 Columbia 1,688 1,515 1,147 1,507 Peru 191 127 153 205 Venezuela 1,275 1,337 939 306 Europe 10,556 13,229 10,928 9,395 Belgium 1,847 4,246 3,319 2,126 France 661 752 645 685 Germany 1,293 1,067 1,382 967 Ireland 979 1,171 628 81 Italy 214 190 343 247 Netherlands 813 866 706 520 United Kingdom 2,654 3,222 2,486 3,018 Asia 10,896 9,586 10,818 11,335 China 205 266 542 243 Hong Kong 1,586 1,419 1,212 1,260 Israel 934 826 1 647 1,834 Japan 4,359 3,356 3,537 4,538 Philippines 443 500 582 310 Saudi Arabia 686 637 772 594 Singapore 421 371 565 382 South Korea 573 298 294 425 Taiwan 302 396 308 285 U Arab Em 397 310 479 555 Oceania 1,379 1,170 1,040 745 Australia 1,124 867 783 566 New Zealand 187 175 110 116 Africa 916 776 957 656 Egypt 11 5 31 7 Ghana 67 22 19 8 Ivory Coast 46 35 22 79 Nigeria 139 151 193 146 South Africa 182 157 146 71 World 2/ 165,577 158,590 128,433 112,254 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Raw fiber equivalent. Totals may not add due to rounding. END_OF_FILE