The Bangladesh government has decided to relax its nearly-five-decade-long fumigation requirement on US cotton imports.
- The decision follows a Cotton Council International (CCI)-sponsored Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture delegation’s visit to the US from 30 October to 5 November last year.
Immediate Reaction: Cotton USA welcomed the move, saying this shift will remove a significant export barrier for US cotton to Bangladesh, as well as "saving" Bangladeshi mills time and money as they look to the US to fill their cotton fibre import needs.
What Will Happen: US exporters will continue to use APHIS-generated phytosanitary certificates, but under the new regulation the certificate will have additional language confirming no live boll weevils are in US baled cotton. APHIS will issue revised instructions for exporters.
The Context: Bangladeshi mills have been paying over a million dollars annually to cover unnecessary fumigation costs imposed on cotton imported from the US.
- Bangladesh ranks as the No 2 global importer of cotton, according to the USDA FAS’s global market analysis in May 2023.
- Although there is some domestic cotton produced in Bangladesh, it accounts for 1% or less of total demand.
- Bangladesh was a Top 10 export market for U.S. cotton in 2022, with exports valued at $477.07 million.
The Visit: The decision came after six Bangladeshi delegation members joined a CCI-sponsored US cotton tour. They conducted meetings in Tennessee, Mississippi and Texas, and met US cotton industry representatives besides visiting cotton fields, gins and warehouses, and the USDA Agricultural Ginning Research Laboratory in Stoneville, Missouri.
- The delegation was told why US cotton bales do not harbour live boll weevils, including a review of the US cotton industry’s successful Boll Weevil Eradication Programme and its modern cotton harvesting and standardized ginning techniques.
- Additional discussion topics included the phytosanitary inspection and certification process with APHIS over Zoom calls.
In Mississippi, the delegation members met Staplcotn—a U.S. cooperative and leading exporter of U.S. cotton to Bangladesh—and toured a gin and warehouse. - Cotton grower Sledge Taylor gave the group a tour of his family’s cotton farm and gin operations, as well as an overview of the sustainable cotton production practices US cotton growers follow.
