Cotton is a fibre crop grown for the use of its white fluffy fibres which are processed into yarns for the weaving and knitting of a wide variety of textiles. The cottonseed is used for oil and animal feed while waste products of the cotton industry can be used in industries as diverse as medical (X-rays), fishing (fishing nets) and paper (banknotes).
Cotton is an ancient crop - proof of the use of cotton for weaving has been found in Pakistan and Mexico. Cloth artefacts from both these countries were older than 5 000 years. In China cotton was grown for ornamental purposes and only later used for weaving.
Arab merchants introduced cotton cloth to Europe in the 9th century and by 1500, cotton was known throughout the world.
What is Cotton?
Cotton is a soft plant fibre that grows in a form known as a boll. The boll forms around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions. Although cotton flourishes in warm, humid weather, close to 50% of South Africa’s cotton is planted in very dry areas in the Northern Cape, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces.
Cottonseeds contain an edible oil and the solid parts (after extraction) are, amongst others, used as a protein-rich ingredient of feed rations for adult livestock.
Most cotton planted in the world is genetically modified cotton types that produce a toxin to combat attacks from bollworm species (Bt cotton) or that can tolerate herbicide sprays used to kill weeds in cotton fields. Another genetic modification makes cotton resistant to weed killers.
World Cotton Production
The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) expected global cotton hectares to decrease by about 2% to almost 33 million ha in 2018/19. Similarly, cotton production was projected to decrease by 4% to 26 million tons in 2018/19.
India is the world’s top cotton producer, contributing more than 30% of the world’s cotton with almost 12,6 million hectares planted to this fibre crop. China was the top producer before its government limited production to reduce government stockpiles.
Other notable cotton producers are the US, Brazil, Pakistan, Australia, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Mexico and Mali in West Africa. The US and India are the world biggest producers of cottonseed.
In Cotton production genetically modified or GM cotton is grown on 25 million hectares worldwide, mostly in India, China, Pakistan and the US. Smaller volumes of GM cotton are produced in Africa (South Africa, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Egypt), the Americas (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Columbia, Mexico, Costa Rica) as well as in Burma and Australia.
By Marinda Louw