More Stories

Informist, Friday, Apr. 10, 2026

 

MUMBAI – The US Department of Agriculture has raised its estimate for global cotton production in 2025–26 (Aug-Jul) to 121.87 million bales (1 bale = 480 pounds) from 120.99 million bales projected in March, it said in the April edition of its World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates report. The expected rise in total production is mainly due to an increase of 300,000 bales each in the case of China, India and Pakistan, and small changes for other countries, the report said.

 

World cotton consumption in 2025-26 is also projected higher at 119.14 million bales, compared with 118.58 million bales projected last month. The rise will be driven by higher mill use for China and India, partially offset by reductions for Bangladesh and Vietnam, the report said.

 

The department has marginally lowered its estimate for global cotton exports in 2025-26 to 43.72 million bales from 43.91 million bales. "World exports are lowered almost 190,000 bales led by a decline for India," the report said. The department has scaled up its projection for world cotton ending stock to 77.04 million bales from 76.39 million bales. 

 

For India, the department has raised its cotton production estimate to 23.80 million bales from 23.50 million bales. It has also raised its estimate for cotton consumption to 25.50 million bales from 25.00 million bales, and lowered the projection for India's cotton exports to 1.20 million bales from 1.40 million bales. 

 

The Cotton Association of India, a leading lobby of the cotton value chain, has raised the estimate for the country's production in cotton year 2025-26 (Oct-Sept) by 350,000 bales to 32.05 million bales (one bale = 170 kg). Domestic consumption this year is estimated higher at 31.5 million bales. The association has maintained its cotton export estimate for 2025-26 at 1.5 million bales. However, it has cut its estimate for imports in 2025-26 to 4.7 million bales from 5.0 million bales.  End

 

Reported by Reshma Ravi

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

 

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.

 

Informist Media Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000 

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

 

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.