According to relevant reports, driven by the growth of cotton planting income, weather and cotton-producing area franchising policies, cotton planting area and output in African countries have continued to grow in recent years, and export volumes have increased. Among them, Côte d’Ivoire has become It is the third largest cotton producer in Africa after Mali and Benin. USDA’s March global production, sales and inventory forecast shows that the cotton exports of Benin and Côte d’Ivoire in 2020/21 will reach 283,000 tons and 229,000 tons respectively. Among other exports totaling 1.795 million tons, the proportion of African cotton is also expected to reach 40%-50% (others are produced in Central Asia, South America and other places).
According to feedback from several international cotton merchants, the main sales markets for African cotton are China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey and other countries. Currently, spot goods are available at China’s main port Mainly produced in Benin, Zimbabwe, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and other producing areas, but the quantity is not large; the 2020/21 cargo from April to September is more complex, including Mozambique, Tanzania, Togo, ivory Coast and other African cotton resources.
However, although the Sino-US trade war continues in 2019-2020, China has issued additional cotton import quotas with sliding taxes, and Australian cotton has declined sharply in 2019/20 due to the sharp decline in output and quality and the impact of China’s The relationship between Australia and Australia continues to be tense and has been removed from the purchase list by some Chinese buyers. However, the growth momentum of African cotton (mainly West African cotton) exports to China has been lower than expected, and cotton exports from some origins have even stood still.
Why is it difficult for African cotton to gain the attention and favor of Chinese cotton spinning mills and traders? Industry analysis mainly has the following reasons:
First, the positioning of West African cotton is unclear and the price is high. Judging from traders’ quotations, the basis difference of M 1-1/8 West African cotton in April/May/July is generally 6.5-7.5 cents/pound; while in the same period, the basis of M 1-5/32 Indian cotton and M The basis difference of 1-1/8 Brazilian cotton is 4-6 cents/pound (including CCI cotton) and 6-7 cents/pound respectively, and the competitiveness of African cotton is weak;
Secondly, African cotton resources are produced in many different places, and the quality indicators vary greatly at different processing stages. It is difficult to purchase bonded or customs-cleared cotton in bulk, and can only be used as cotton for spinning 40S and below cotton yarn;
Thirdly, African cotton is still mainly hand-picked, and the purchasing standards and ginning quality are low. Therefore, not only the foreign fibers are larger, but the quality of cotton in the same batch or even the same container is also high. ; In addition, horse value is generally too high, making it difficult to spin high-count yarn;
The sales period of African cotton is later than that of other producing areas in the northern hemisphere (most shipping dates are after February) , and the transportation distance is long, and it is greatly affected by humidity and other conditions during the journey. The cotton is downgraded (yellowish), which is not conducive to cotton distribution and order arrangement. </p
