Bangladesh’s cotton imports may fall in the current marketing year. Spinners may be inclined to use more cotton from their stock instead of imports as cotton prices are shooting up. In the report USDA said cotton imports in Bangladesh may fall to 8.2 million bales in the MY22 from 8.75 million in the MY21. However domestic cotton consumption has risen by 23 per cent. After facing the blow of pandemic, readymade garment exports from Bangladesh increased by 28 per cent in the first 10 months of 2021. Orders from Bangladesh increased as production was hindered in China and Vietnam. The rising trend may continue for the next couple of months increasing cotton consumption.

As per Textile Mills Association (BTMA) chief executive officer Monsoor Ahmed many spinning mills are in the process of expansion with the rise in garment exports. This may reverse the trend of falling imports. Bangladesh’s spinning industry is heavily dependent on imported cotton. Many factories are now making new investments in setting up spinning facilities because of growing demand for yarns in Bangladesh, leading to the inclusion of about two million new spindles to the existing production capacity in the next two years. So the country will have to import an additional two million bales of cotton. The United States for one is looking to increase its cotton exports to Bangladesh. Bangladesh is the world’s second largest importer of cotton, a key clothing raw material.