African countries can be a major source of cotton used as raw materials in the Bangladesh’s garment industry, said Finance Minister AMA Muhith. He said the African cotton is “of good quality and easy for import.”Bangladesh is currently the second largest cotton importer in the world sourcing mostly from India and China. African Cotton Association President Baba Berthe, Bangladesh Cotton Association President Mohammad Shahidullah and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association Vice President Mohammad Ali Khokon also spoke at the function. Import of African is also more cost-effective compared to other countries.”He said: “African cotton industry is purely export-oriented while India and China have their own demands of cotton. Mohammad Ali Khokon said the cotton import increased to 7.087m bales from 4.876m bales in the last five years with Africa making increasing contribution to the global cotton supply.

Source: Dhaka Tribune April 09, 2017 16:41 UTC