The increasingly fraught trading relationship between the United States and China has led to an outcry from the cotton growers of America for the governments of both nations to return to the negotiation table and end the current threats of retaliatory tariff measures.
Farming unions have been forthright in their views on how to remedy the situation, perhaps best illustrated by National Cotton Council (NCC) chairman, Ron Craft who said: “I cannot overstate the importance of China’s market to U.S. cotton farmers and the importance of U.S. cotton in meeting the needs of China’s textile industry.”
A statement supported by industry figures relating to the 2017 crop year which rank China as the second largest export market for US cotton; the country is said to be responsible for purchasing around 2.5 million bales.
