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Informist, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025

 

MUMBAI – Although India's production of Extra-Long Staple and Long Staple cotton is estimated higher at 110,000 tonnes in 2024-25 from 100,000 tonnes a year ago, its imports are estimated to show a hefty rise to 265,000 tonnes from 90,000 tonnes, according to the International Cotton Advisory Committee.

 

India's cotton year runs from October to September. However, the committee's figures are on August-July basis, in keeping with global trends.

 

In its Specialty Cotton Report released Tuesday, the committee said that in 2024-25, India is estimated to lead extra-long staple and long staple cotton lint production with 110,000 tonnes, followed closely by the US, Egypt, China, and Peru. "India's production pattern is in alignment with previous seasons, whereas the US and Egypt's production is on a revival trajectory after the slow 2023-24 season," it said.

 

India's consumption of extra-long staple and long staple cotton is estimated at 150,000 tonnes in 2024-25, up from 95,000 tonnes in 2023-24. Imports, on the other hand, are estimated to show a hefty increase of nearly 200% to 265,000 tonnes.

 

"There has been a significant increase in India's imports and consumption pattern in the 2024-25 season, based on which we have made major upward revisions in India's trade and consumption capacity," the committee said in its report.

 

In February 2024, the government also removed the import duty on cotton exceeding the length of 32 mm. India sources most of its extra-long staple and long staple cotton from Egypt and the US and, in August, import duties were removed from all raw cotton until December.

 

India also exports extra-long staple and long staple varieties of cotton, rising from 155,000 tonnes in 2023-24 to an estimated 187,000 tonnes in 2024-25, according to the report. India's exports and imports could be of different quality products.

 

Formed in 1939, the International Cotton Advisory Committee is an association of countries that produce, consume, and trade or invest in cotton. Its report recognises the difficulties in compiling trade data for these varieties of cotton. "The definitions of LS and ELS cotton are not globally standardized, and each producing and consuming country has its own standards to define ELS and LS cotton," it noted in the report.

 

"Global trade for these types of cotton is usually conducted using internationally unharmonized HS (Harmonized System) codes, which makes demand, supply, and trade analysis a difficult task. It is often seen that exporting countries consider a consignment as long staple (based on their national definition); however, the same consignment is considered extra-long staple by the importing country (based on their national definition)."  End

 

Reported by Abhijit Doshi

Edited by Rajeev Pai

 

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