The NCC’s response pointed out that the Brazil WTO case was based on US farm policy enacted in already-expired farm laws. US cotton acreage and production have dramatically declined over the past five years due to cotton support changes, Chinese market distortions, and mandated corn ethanol demand.

“The author's attempt to link modern cotton with slavery is embarrassing to read and amazingly purposeful,” the response stated. “The CQ has retreated from an informational journal to a sensationalist approach to federal policy discussion. From wrong-headed facts (overstating average subsidies involved in the Brazil case by $1.5 billion per year), to callous disregard of facts and history (600,000 textile jobs in the US lost since 2000 as a result of competition by child-labor-produced apparel products), to complete fabrication (West African cotton producers are not, and have never been, a competitive threat to US cotton producers), to deliberate misstatement of facts (of the $829 million that Brazil is authorized to retaliate, only $147 million is due to cotton subsidies), the author and the publisher have written an article designed to distort the policy debate with respect to cotton. Of all the professed cotton experts who have written on the Brazil WTO case, only the CQ believes a one hectare West African cotton farm is competitively identical to a 10,000 acre Brazilian plantation -- an assertion that is ludicrous on its face.”

On a regional basis, the Southeast crop is estimated at 4.14 million bales, based on harvested acres of 2.50million and a regional average yield of 795 pounds, three pounds above the region’s five-year average. In the Mid-South, expected production is 3.68 million bales. Harvested area is estimated to be 1.85 million acres and the expected yield 956 pounds per harvested acre. The Southwest upland crop is estimated at 9.19 million bales. Expected harvested area is 5.74 million acres and the regional average yield is 769 pounds, 54 pounds above their five-year average of 715 pounds per harvested acre. Upland production in the West is an estimated 1.02 million bales with estimated harvested area of 339,000 acres and a regional average yield of 1,444 pounds, 94 pounds higher than the region’s five-year average.

The ELS crop is an estimated 498,000 bales. Harvested area is pegged at 207,000 acres with an average yield of 1,154 pounds per harvested acre.

State-level estimates are included in the accompanying table.

For the ’10-11 marketing year, USDA sees US production at 18.53 million bales, up 230,000 bales from last month’s report. Mill use was unchanged from the July report at 3.40 million bales, while exports were raised 700,000 bales to 15.00 million bales. The estimated total offtake stands at 18.40 million bales. With beginning stocks of 3.10 million bales, this would result in US ending stocks of 3.20 million bales on July 31, ’11, and a stocks-to-use ratio of 17.4%.

USDA’s August report sees world production for the ’09-10 marketing year at 102.15 million bales, down 400,000 bales from last month. World mill use was raised 1.16 million bales to 117.71 million bales. Consequently, world ending stocks are estimated to be 47.58 million bales with a stocks-to-use ratio of 40.4%.

In a press statement, NCTO Chairman David Hastings said, “It is pivotal that the rules and obligations governing the trading system are enforced and we thank Senator Hagan and Senator Graham for their leadership on this critical issue. The enactment of this legislation will send a clear message -- that the U.S. government will not allow fraudulent activity on imported textile and apparel goods to continue to occur, particularly when it comes at the expense of U.S. workers and businesses.”

The statement noted that The Textile Enforcement and Security Act of 2010 legislation provides US Customs and Border Protection with expanded authority, increased resources, and enhanced tools to better facilitate the trade among legal players while more effectively targeting the bad players in the system.

“For years our industry has been plagued by high levels of fraudulent as well as undervalued goods coming into the U.S. market and has led to the loss of thousands of U.S. textile and apparel workers and the shuttering of textile mills across the country,” Hastings said.  “This legislation provides our companies and our workers with a fair and balanced playing field that is necessary in order to compete in the global marketplace.”

The 11 Sourcing Program member mills were featured at the COTTON USA booth and in advertising throughout the grounds of the show. Representatives of three Sourcing Program mills, Buhler Quality Yarns, Frontier Spinning Mills and Tuscarora Yarns, attended the show and visited a total of 29 Colombian textile manufacturers in Bogota and Medellin to enhance business relationships and share information about the US cotton textile industry.

At Colombiamoda, COTTON USA sponsored the launch of Aritex de Colombia’s new line of 100% cotton women’s and men’s athletic apparel featuring knit fabrics by COTTON USA licensee Fabricato Tejicondor, which are finished with Cotton Incorporated’s Wicking Windows™ technology. COTTON USA also supported the launch of Angel Yañez’s 100% cotton men’s underwear featuring knit fabrics by COTTON USA licensee Protela S.A.

Two of the largest Colombian mattress companies, Americana de Colchones and Colchones Spring, participated in the trade show under the theme “COTTON USA Sleeps with You,” a continuation of a recent media campaign carried out in conjunction with COTTON USA. The campaign is aimed to build consumer awareness of cotton-filled mattresses’ benefits in the face of a recent regulatory challenge spearheaded by synthetic mattress manufacturers.