Agriculture and Environment: Commodities

Table of Facts: Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

Production
Area Under Cultivation - 32.7 Million ha
Global Production - 54.6 Million MT (Seed); 19.1 Million MT (Lint)
Average Productivity - 1,670 kg of seed/ha; 584 kg of lint/ha
Producer Price - $616 per MT
Producer Production Value - $33,644 million

International Trade
Share of World Production - 26%
Exports - 7,663 Million MT
Average Price - $1,020 per MT
Value - $7,818 Million

Principal Producing Countries/Blocs
(by weight)
China, United States, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Turkey

Principal Exporting Countries/Blocs
(of cotton lint)
Uzbekistan, Australia, United States, China, Greece

Principal Importing Countries/Blocs
(of cotton lint)
Turkey, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand

Major Environmental Impacts

• Habitat conversion
• Soil erosion and degradation
• Agrochemical use
• Water use and contamination

Potential to Improve

• Poor
• Organic cotton exists but does not address water and some other sustainability issues
• BMPs have been identified, but reducing overall water and toxic chemical use will be difficult
• Genetic modification offers potential to reduce agrochemical use, but may cause other impacts if introduced