US Upland cotton exports ease, shipments firm in week of Dec 25: USDA

Net Upland sales for the current marketing year stood at 134,000 running bales (RB), easing week on week from 182,700 RB during the week of December 18 and slightly above the 128,900 RB booked in the corresponding week last year. Forward sales for the next marketing year were limited to 2,200 RB, lower than 5,300 RB a year earlier, underscoring continued caution among mills.

Outstanding Upland sales edged down to 3.667 million RB from 3.674 million RB the previous week and were sharply below 4.947 million RB a year ago, pointing to leaner forward coverage than last season. Accumulated Upland exports rose to 2.832 million RB from 2.692 million RB a week earlier and were also higher than 2.668 million RB a year ago, indicating that shipments continue to outpace last year despite softer bookings. Weekly Upland shipments totalled 140,700 RB, slightly below 146,900 RB in the prior week but higher than levels seen in the year-ago period.

Vietnam remained the largest destination, accounting for 56,100 RB of shipments, followed by Pakistan (11,500 RB), Bangladesh (4,800 RB), Indonesia (10,500 RB) and Malaysia (7,700 RB). Additional shipments were recorded to China, India, Turkiye and several Latin American markets.

On the sales side, Vietnam led net Upland purchases with 72,500 RB, down sharply week on week from the prior week’s elevated levels. Turkiye and Pakistan followed with 14,700 RB each, while China booked 10,400 RB, Indonesia 9,500 RB and Costa Rica 9,800 RB. Smaller sales were reported to Bangladesh, Malaysia, Peru, Mexico, India and Japan.

Pima cotton activity remained subdued but stable. Net Pima sales for the current marketing year totalled 3,100 RB, lower than 9,100 RB a week earlier but above 1,700 RB in the year-ago period. Outstanding Pima sales declined to 58,000 RB from 65,800 RB the previous week and were well below 78,400 RB last year. Accumulated Pima exports reached 141,300 RB, up from the prior week but trailing 162,000 RB a year earlier.

Overall, the latest data indicate that while Upland sales cooled further after mid-December strength, shipment momentum remains resilient, keeping cumulative exports ahead of last year even as forward order books remain comparatively thin.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (KUL)