India will be among the 18 countries which to tour the United States from September 27 to October 3 to get a close look at how cotton is produced, processed and marketed. Represented countries consume about 96.5 million cotton bales per year in their textile mills, which represent about 84 per cent of the world’s consumption. The countries import about 29.4 million bales annually or about 85 per cent of the world’s total cotton imports. Companies from these 18 countries are expected to consume about 3.1 million bales in 2015 while US cotton exports to those companies are estimated at about a million bales.

Tour participants will visit cotton farms and cotton research centers. They will meet exporters in the four major cotton belts. More than 800 textile executives from more than 60 countries have participated in these orientation tours, which began in 1968. Major tour objectives are to help customers of US cotton increase awareness about the types and qualities of US cotton, help them gain better understanding of US marketing practices and enhance their relationships with US exporters. The aim of this year’s tour is to help foreign textile manufacturers develop a deeper appreciation for US cotton fiber quality and the industry’s timely delivery system.