Cotton Weekly Brief

Upland offering rates have shown little new direction, in the

absence of a lead from New York futures or any new stimulus from

the demand side of the market. Futures have witnessed light trading,

with limited speculative participation... Physical prices in China have

presented a steadier appearance. The recent slide of man-made fi bre

prices has also been arrested. Prices on electronic markets have

mostly gained modest ground... Local mill demand has imparted some

fi rmness to local prices in Turkey... The Egyptian government has

earmarked one billion pounds for the purchase of seed cotto n. The

current price support arrangements will be discussed by Alcotexa at

the weekend... Some fi ve hundred people attended Turkmenistan's

fi rst Cotton Fair.

Inclement weather has hindered the fi nal stages of the US harvest,

but overall the moisture is welcome. Clearer weather has

allowed Pima producers to undertake remnant picking... Mexican

farmers are concerned at a possible shortfall in irrigation water for

next season's cotton crop... In China, unhelpful wet weather has

accompanied the closing stages of the harvest... Indian seed cotton

arrivals have continued to lag well behind the pace of last season.

Production forecasts have been reduced but still indicate a record

crop... Seed cotton deliveries in Pakistan have quickly regained

momentum, following a holiday. A bumper crop remains in prospect...

In Brazil, sowing is making good progress in Mato Grosso,

but rains have necessitated some replanting in Bahia... Planting in

Argentina was close to the half-way stage by the end of November,

according to offi cial fi gures... Paraguay has completed sowing on a

higher area than last season... Heavy rains have damaged Colombia's

Coastal crop... South Africa anticipates that plantings will be about

maintained in 2011/12... In Australia, an offi cial forecast confi rms

expectations of a record