Delegates exchange information on the sidelines of US Cotton Day held in HCM City on July 12. – VNS Photo

HCM CITY —  Việt Nam is one of the largest importers of US cotton, and the imports will continue to rise, delegates told Cotton Day organised by Cotton Council International (CCI) in collaboration with the Việt Nam Textile and Garment Association (VITAS) in HCM City on Friday.

Speaking at the event, Vũ Đức Giang, VITAS chairman, said Việt Nam’s garment and textile exports were worth US$32 billion last year and were expected to reach $40 billion this year.

The industry imported 67-68 per cent of its cotton requirements, with 50 per cent, or over $1 billion worth annually, coming from the US, he said.

The US produced the most sustainable cotton of any country in the world, Doyle Schniers, member of the executive committee of American Cotton Producers, claimed.

Cotton producers and industry business groups were setting new environmental targets, he added.

Wiiliam Barksdale, chairman of the American Cotton Shippers Association (ACSA), said: “In 2019-20 we expect to have a big crop and we will have virtually every type of cotton that you need for your mill or manufacturing operation.

“In order to ensure that you get the right cotton for your products, we encourage you to work with your suppliers to specify the quality characteristics that you need in your contract.”

Giang said Vietnamese spinning firms greatly appreciated the quality of US cotton, but wanted the CCI and US cotton exporters to focus more on ensuring quality consistency.

Besides, the US should set up a bonded warehouse in Việt Nam to make it easier for Vietnamese firms to import its cotton, he said.

Cotton Day, with the theme ‘What's New in Cotton?’ was aimed at introducing to the Vietnamese textile and garment supply chain the new advances in technology available in the market.

It also sought to foster links between garment and textile companies and suppliers and experts in the cotton sector.

There was also a fashion show to introduce new collections from the Canifa and John Henry brands at the event. CCI, the export promotion arm of the National Cotton Council of America, is a non-profit organisation established in 1956 to promote US cotton around the world under its COTTON USA trademark. – VNS