China cotton imports down 30 percent in October

  

 China's demand for imported cotton decreased in the first 10 months of 2008, another sign that demand for Chinese made goods has shrunk considerably this year.

   The country collectively imported 1.86 million tons of cotton through October, a decrease of 8.3 percent versus the same period in 2007, Xinhua reported Sunday. The falloff was particularly sharp in the month of October, with cotton imports plummeting by nearly 30 percent.

   The three biggest exporters of cotton to China are the United States, India and Uzbekistan, with those three countries accounting for nearly 84 percent of all imports. But all three have seen their volume to China decline markedly. U.S. exports to China were down 18.8 percent through October, to 826,000 tons, while India's volume was down 34 percent, to 570,000 tons.  

 

Source: American Shipper