Raw cotton exports from Gujarat witness hike

30 Dec '11

2 min read

Gujarat, which all along has been the biggest exporter of cotton from the country, is set to export a huge volume of the white gold in the current cotton season 2011-12.

Shankar-6 variety of cotton, grown in Gujarat is the highest exported variety from India. Most of the cotton crop grown this year is destined for China, the biggest global cotton importer.

Rough estimates indicate that Gujarat will export 6 million bales (1 bale = 170 kg) in the current season against 5.2 million bales in the previous cotton year.

The Indian government has placed raw cotton exports in the open general license (OGL) in the current fiscal year, while last year it had placed a cap of 5.2 million bales and later on permitted an additional 1 million bales, which is the main reason for the surge in exports this year.

Speaking exclusively to fibre2fashion, Mr Anand Popat, General Secretary - Saurashtra Cotton Ginners Association (SCGA), said, “The demand in both domestic and international markets is good and Gujarat has exported roughly 2.5-3.0 million bales till now”.

He added, “Secondly, cotton exports are up as our current rates are best in the international market. Currently, the market is steady because of movements in the yarn market. We do not see prices moving further down in the near future.

“The prices of cotton are between Rs. 34,500–35,000 per candy (1 candy = 356 kg). Earlier the rate had fallen to Rs 33,000 per candy, but rose due to dollar appreciation”.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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