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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | India defers decision on cotton export ban

India defers decision on cotton export ban

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published Published on Mar 10, 2012   modified Modified on Mar 10, 2012
-Reuters

India will keep a controversial ban on its cotton exports for now after ministers failed to agree its fate on Friday, even after top buyer China had criticised the move, which boosted global prices. 

Indian exporters, who have some 2.5 million bales outstanding for overseas sales, are left with the limited consolation of shifting a maximum of 500,000 bales that have already been cleared by customs. 

"The meeting was inconclusive. Further discussion is needed. The next meeting will be held as soon as possible," Kiran Dhingra, the top civil servant at the textile ministry, told reporters. 

India, the world's second-biggest cotton producer, unexpectedly banned exports on Monday after a record 9.5 million bales had been shipped since Oct. 1, saying it wanted to ensure adequate supplies for domestic textile mills. 

Traders said delaying the decision on the ban would unsettle global markets. 

"It will lead to uncertainty, and we could see volatility in prices in the coming days," said Ghanshyam Ladha, a trader based in the western city of Jaipur. 

China's cotton industry association also had said the ban was irresponsible and would disrupt the global market. 

Farm Minister Sharad Pawar, a key ally for the ruling Congress party and an influential voice in previous export decisions, demanded the ban be lifted because it hurt cotton farmers, saying he had been kept in the dark about the move. 

PARTIAL RELIEF The commerce ministry earlier on Friday said it would allow cotton cleared by customs before March 4 to be exported, giving some relief to stretched traders, even though 2 million bales remain in limbo - registered for export but not shipped. 

"What the government has done will trim the inventory by a very small amount. It is not a significant price booster," said Pradeep Jain, a trader based in Jalgaon, in western Maharashtra state. 

Government sources have said India may decide to allow limited exports of cotton above this to cover existing sales commitments and avoid defaults or costly foreign replacements. 

The benchmark New York cotton future on ICE was down 1.06 percent at 88.61 cents per lb by 1418 GMT, largely reacting to U.S. Agriculture Department monthly supply and demand data. 

Spot prices for Shanker-6 cotton on India's domestic market rose 500 rupees per candy to 33,500 rupees as the ban continued. The key March cotton contract on India's Multi Commodity Exchange closed broadly flat before the meeting at 16,860 rupees per bale of 170 kg. 

Cotton ended 2011 as the worst-performing commodity of the year, falling 37 percent from 2010 after record prices had boosted output and decimated demand, while a shaky global economy scared off investors. 

If India's ban persists, major cotton exporter Australia is poised to benefit the most, analysts said. 

"India's official export total ... has already exceeded the country's exportable surplus," analysts at Morgan Stanley said in a research note. "This bodes poorly for U.S. export demand for the balance of the season." 

Globally, cotton production is expected to exceed consumption this year and again in 2012/13 despite low prices, according to the International Cotton Advisory Committee. 

Morgan Stanley said that if the ban continued, it could have a negative impact on Indian domestic prices and planting prospects next year.

The Economic Times, 9 March, 2012, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/india-defers-decision-on-cotton-export-ban/articleshow/12202038.cms


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