Global organic cotton output to rise 25%

The global organic cotton production is projected to increase by at least 25 per cent in 2007-08. Last year, the global production of organic cotton stood at 57,931 tonnes.

These are the findings of the latest report released by the California-based Organic Exchange which has 147 members, including global majors such as Nike, Levi's, C&A and Marks & Spencer. According to the report, 57,931 mt, or 265,517 bales, were produced by 24 countries from all continents in 2006-07. The top ten organic cotton producing countries were Turkey, India, China, Syria, Peru , the United States, Uganda, Tanzania, Israel, and Pakistan.

Approximately one-third (32.9 per cent) of the organic cotton was grown in Southeast Asia. However, West Asian countries, including Turkey, Syria and Israel, produced half (44.9 per cent) of the global organic cotton output.

According to the report, the global organic cotton production may increase by 25 to 55 per cent in 2007-08, with the lowest production projection at 68,144 tonnes and the best at a whopping 105,749 tonnes in 2007-08. The amount of organic cotton produced globally increased 53 per cent in 2006-07 from 2005-06.

The report includes data collected through to July 2007 from organic cotton farming projects and other industry sources such as certifiers, promotion bodies, academics, companies, government officials, and experts.

The demand for organic cotton is bound to increase to 99,662 tonnes in 2007-08 against the last year's demand of 61,025 tonnes.

The global organic cotton product sales has increased an estimated 35 per cent annually, from $245 million in 2001 to $583 million in 2005, and are projected to skyrocket to $2.6 billion by the end of 2008. The top 5 users of organic cotton in 2005 were Nike (Oregon), Coop (Switzerland), Patagonia (California), Otto (Germany ), Sam's Club and Walmart (Arkansas).

Kathleen Wood, director - program integration, Organic Exchange, recently stated in one of her presentations in Turkey that global brands including Nike, C&A, M&S, Mountain Equipment Coop-Canada, Nordstrom, Timberland, Wal-Mart, and Woolworth's South Africa have set long-term transition goals for using organic fibre and have annual implementation plans.

"Nike has a goal of incorporating 5 per cent organic cotton in all of its cotton garments by 2010. Nordstrom's first goal was to incorporate organic cotton into 5 per cent of their units by 2007. C&A, Wal-Mart and others have also set goals to convert a percentage of their total cotton use to organic. Otto has a goal of converting 5 per cent of their cotton use to organic starting 2008," Wood stated in her presentation.