China’s imports of cotton linter in the first half of 2021 were up 146 per cent year on year. As per a CCF Group report imports in the first and second quarter of 2021 were up 56 per cent and 262 per cent year on year. In the first half of 2021, imports from India, Turkey and the US were up 550 per cent, 548 per cent and 34 per cent.

In the first half of 2021, cotton linter import price fell to a 15-year low. The price of Indian linter is 3.5 per cent lower than the average while that of US linter is 33 per cent higher than the average. The cotton linter import price in June 2021 was up two per cent year on year. The price of Turkish linter is 11 per cent lower than the average while that of Indian and US linter is 12.8 per cent and 27 per cent higher than the average.

China’s consumption of cotton linter for staple-grade CLP has increased substantially this year, so have cotton linter imports from India, Turkey and Brazil in the first half of the year. Adding the US, imports from these four countries account for about 95 per cent of total Chinese imports.