Cotton production in US goes up from last month

World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported this month’s 2012/13 U.S. cotton supply and demand estimates include slight revisions, resulting in an increase of 300,000 bales in forecast ending stocks.

Production is raised 178,000 bales from last month to 17.3 million, due mainly to increases in the Mississippi Delta states. Domestic mill use is unchanged, but exports are reduced based on lower forecast imports by China. The forecast range for the 2012/13 marketing year average price received by producers of 62 to 74 cents per pound is lowered 4 cents on the upper end of the range, reflecting lower prices in recent months. In addition, the final 2011/12 marketing year average price is pegged at 88.3 cents per pound.

A combination of sharply higher production and reduced consumption raises projected 2012/13 world ending stocks by 2.6 million bales this month. Production is raised mainly in India, China, Brazil, Pakistan, and the United States. Consumption is reduced 2.0 million bales for China as the high domestic support price continues to erode offtake. However, about three-fourths of the China reduction is offset by increased spinning use in other countries with access to lower cost raw material, including India, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

World trade is reduced marginally as a reduction of 1.0 million bales in China’s imports is mostly offset by increases for other countries. World stocks are raised to 79.1 million bales, including 37 million bales projected for China.