Cotton USA celebrated Cotton Day 2023 on 16th November 2023 in Dhaka. The event, was held in observance of Cotton Day. At the event distinguished guest H. E. Peter D. Haas, Ambassador of the USA to Bangladesh; Faruque Hassan, President, BGMEA, Mohammad Ali Khokon, President, BTMA; William Bettendorf, Regional Director, CCI; Leigh Pell, LDC; Carl Peltzer, Cargill; Joerg Bauersachs, Head of Cotton USA Solutions; Ali Arsalan, Cotton Council International (CCI) Representative for Bangladesh were present.
The star-packed program was aimed to share how US cotton is superior in quality and how COTTON USA™, solutions are helping the industry to increase machine productivity, labor productivity, higher yield in carded and combed yarn, etc. As a testament to USA-made cotton’s trust among Bangladesh’s textile millers – US cotton imports reached almost $470 million in 2022, which represented 15% of total U.S. exports to Bangladesh. About 200 factories and producers in Bangladesh are using sustainable and transparent cotton produced in the United States.
“The growth of the U.S. Cotton and Trust Protocol program in Bangladesh is remarkable,” said H. E. Peter D. Haas, Ambassador of the USA to Bangladesh, who was among the Chief guests of the program. Peter D. Haas explains, “I believe that the growth in market share is based on the increased awareness of the benefits of using high-quality U.S. cotton. The Cotton Trust Protocol was launched in 2020, and in just three years over 190 mills and manufacturers have enrolled.”
“Through the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, the United States can offer a transparent supply of sustainable cotton, which is being demanded by brands around the world,” he added. “The entire world is facing the challenge of climate change, and agricultural production both need to adapt to heatwaves, droughts, pests, and other impacts of climate change as well as proactively work to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.”
“The Cotton Trust Protocol sets a new standard in sustainably grown cotton, ensuring it contributes to the protection and preservation of the planet, using the most sustainable and responsible techniques.”
“That is why water use, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, soil conservation, soil carbon, and land use are all factors in developing the world’s first sustainable cotton fiber program.”
“As those of you here today looking to expand your use of U.S. cotton, I recommend that you take advantage of the resources that Cotton Council International can provide.”
“Their Cotton USA Solutions team offers free services for mills and manufacturers who are part of the Cotton Trust Protocol, enabling them to be more productive.”
“This year, the work that the Solutions team in Bangladesh has done has resulted in higher efficiencies, lower wastage, and better quality of yarn using 100 percent U.S. cotton.”
Peter D. Haas said, “The removal of the cotton fumigation requirement is one of the biggest economic trade successes the Embassy achieved in 2023. But this is not just a success for the United States, it is a win for all of you in Bangladesh.”
“Simply put, it allows you faster access to high-quality U.S. cotton with lower costs.”
“I have heard that the removal of the fumigation requirement is saving individual mills up to $35,000 a year and is reducing the amount of time it takes to clear customs by several days,” Peter D. Haas added.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan emphasized the potential for increased trade benefits through enhanced collaboration between Bangladesh and the United States. Faruque Hassan pointed to the potential for greater trade and investment cooperation with the United States – one of the major trading partners of Bangladesh. “Cotton is the backbone of Bangladesh RMG sector. In 2022, Bangladesh imported 8.5m bale from USA,” Faruque Hassan added. He mentioned the positive impact of the recent removal of the mandatory double fumigation rule on US cotton imported by Bangladesh, stating that this development eases the import process, reducing time, hassles, and costs.
William R. Bettendorf, Regional Director, Supply Chain Marketing, South & Southeast Asia, Cotton Council International (CCI) said, “CCI takes pride in leading the industry in this regard through our strict classing process, contract sanctity standards and customer service offerings.”
Joerg Bauersachs, Head of CCI Technical Service, “Globally spinning mills face challenges like quality, productivity, achieving the waste level they want, etc. To deal with these issues, we provide a service called 1:1 Mill Consults. This service comes under the umbrella of COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™. 1:1 Mill Consult brings one of our Mill Experts directly to the mill. Either virtually, or on-site, our experts will be in the mill for a one-to-four-day, in-depth mill examination.”
“It is a complimentary service from our team of consultants who have a combined experience of more than 200 years in the spinning industry. No other cotton provider in the world has such kind of program.”
“In addition, we offer the following solutions to the spinning millers for achieving higher efficiency, reducing costs and assuring optimum quality: 1:1 Mill Consults, Mill Studies, Mill Exchange Program, Technical Seminars, Mill Mastery™ Courses. The importance of Bale Management for cotton bale laydowns is such that – raw material represents 60-70% of the input costs at a spinning mill. And a proper Bale Management can give substantial ease to the spinners in the process,” Joerg Bauersachs added.
Later in the panel discussion, Azizur Rahim Chowdhury, Director, Malek Spinning Mills Limited said, “For the last 22-23 years, we have been one of the ambassadors of US Cotton. Pushing our brands and forward partners to adopt US Cotton. From the very beginning, we believed that there was no other source that could give us that quality cotton consistently, the same growth, and the quality on time. And that is really why we stick to COTTON USA™.”
