World cotton consumption is projected to increase to 26.7 m tons in 2018-19 while world cotton production is estimated at 25.7 m tons.
Production in China is projected to decrease to 5.6 m tons based on reduced planting area, while consumption is forecasted to increase to 8.4 m tons.

US production, meanwhile, is projected to decrease to 4.2 m tons with exports projected to increase three per cent.

Reduced yields in 2017-18 in India are contributing to lowered planted area for 2018-19 with exports projected at 8,40,000 tons representing a 24 per cent decrease from the previous season. Production in Brazil for the 2017-18 season is forecast to be 1.9 m tons, a 26 per cent increase from 2016-17, with 9,00,000 tons projected for export. Production for the West Africa region in 2017-18 is estimated at 1.2 m tons, representing a 13 per cent growth from the previous season, with exports for the region expected at 1.04 m tons.

A third consecutive season of growth in demand for cotton, coupled with a decline in world cotton production and poor weather conditions in both China and the US – the world’s leading exporter of the fiber – is adding another layer of uncertainty to the cotton market.