Cotton Council International (CCI), the National Cotton Council’s export promotions arm, is conducting this special trade mission under which twelve executives from Bangladeshi textile companies will travel across the U.S. Cotton Belt to get a closer look at COTTON USA and learn more about U.S. cotton, the world’s preferred fiber.

During the special trade mission set from April 30 to May 6 , the group of Bangladeshi textile executive will participate in multiple meetings with U.S. cotton exporters to help facilitate the export of U.S. cotton.

The Bangladeshi delegation will begin its tour in New York with a CCI briefing and an ICE Futures seminar. During their tour, they will also see cotton research in North Carolina, tour the USDA cotton classing office in Bartlett, TN, and visit a cotton farm and gin in West Texas.

The group also will meet with exporters in the Cotton Belt’s four major regions and with these key industry organizations – AMCOT, American Cotton Producers, American Cotton Shippers Association, Cotton Incorporated, Lubbock Cotton Exchange, National Cotton Council, Plains Cotton Growers, Southern Cotton Growers Association, Texas Cotton Association, Western Cotton Shippers Association and Supima.

The individual companies participating in this trade mission are expected to consume about 705,000 bales in 2016-17 – about 11% percent of Bangladesh’s total cotton consumption.

Bangladesh stands as U.S. cotton’s ninth largest market, with U.S. export commitments at more than 500,000 bales to date in the 2016-17 marketing year ending July 31.

CCI President Eduardo L. (Eddy) Esteve, a Dallas, TX merchant, said that Bangladesh imports more cotton than any other country, and only three other countries’ textile mills use more cotton. They want to reinforce the fact to these trade mission participants that U.S. cotton is of superior quality and is the world’s preferred fiber. They also want to remind these important U.S. cotton customers that they are committed to delivering their fiber to them in a very timely manner.