Resurgent Demand for Egyptian Cotton
Egyptian Cotton™ is once again in high demand on the international market, in large part thanks to the work of the Cotton Egypt Association. Our commitment to ensuring consistent quality across all Egyptian Cotton™ is helping to restore its global reputation, with retailers and customers alike now with much greater confidence that they can trust our name.
Egyptian Cotton™ Suffers A Setback
Low margins for farmers and the elimination of a subsidy led to a difficult period for Egyptian Cotton™ in 2015-16. Data from the ITC indicates that the export value of Egyptian Cotton™ dropped by 4% between 2012 and 2016. With profits narrowing, many farmers turned to other crops and unscrupulous manufacturers and suppliers began to mix our distinctive long staple cotton with inferior lengths. The political upheaval of 2011 coincided with a loss of focus on enforcing Egyptian Cotton™ standards and regulations.
Having come under the spotlight in the USA in 2016, global Egyptian Cotton™ retailers and consumers alike are now keen to ensure that the goods they are purchasing are genuine. All 100% authentic Egyptian Cotton™ now carries the logo of the Cotton Egypt Association, guaranteeing that the grower, manufacturer and supplier are all fully licensed. This has been made possible by our new Bureau Veritas accreditation procedure and DNA testing.
The Resurgence of Egyptian Cotton™
Alongside our drive for greater accreditation, the historic Egyptian Cotton™ industry has been further boosted by a decisive move in 2016. In a concerted effort to improve the overall quality of the cotton, the amount of land given over to its cultivation was dramatically reduced to 130,000 acres, a 100 year low. Such action helped to ensure that only the highest quality cotton possible was being produced.
With standards rising and a crackdown on falsely-labelled goods underway, cotton production substantially increased during the 2016-17 season. Approximately 220,000 acres of land were dedicated to the production of cotton and exports improved by around 19%. Looking ahead, the future looks bright for Egyptian Cotton™.
Looking to The Future of Egyptian Cotton™
The Ministry of Agriculture is now actively looking at ways to boost productivity amongst cotton farmers. As things currently stand, the quantity of Egyptian Cotton™ being produced will be insufficient to meet growing demand. More cotton equals more land. The Egyptian government wishes to increase the amount of land used for cotton cultivation to around 216,000 feddans, which is approximately 222,480 acres. The Head of the Cotton Improvement Fund, Adel Abdul Azim believes that by 2019, cotton cultivated land will have reached 400,000 feddans.
In July 2017, the Ministry of Agriculture set itself a clear target. It wishes to “increase the price of the long staple cotton to more than 3000 Egyptian pounds ($168.07) per quintar”. Hamed Abdel-Dayem, a spokesperson for the department, announced that “production should rise to 1.4 million quintals (160kg) in the 2017-2018 fiscal year”. In 2016-2017, 700,000 quintals of Egyptian Cotton™ were produced.
However, the Head of the Cotton Exporters Association has bigger ideas. Nabil al-Sanrisi has strongly encouraged the Egyptian government to support the production of 2 million quintals by 2019, arguing that it is the only way to ensure that Egypt can have a real impact on the international market.
One thing is certain, Egyptian Cotton™ is on the up.