Results of the 2013/14 season in Kazakhstan

Ginning is now over, and local mills have closed in preparation for the new season.  A final count suggests that  seed cotton production amounted to close to 224,000 tonnes, from which 73,500 tonnes of lint have been pressed during the season.  An estimated 10 per cent of the crop was allocated to domestic users, while the bulk of production continued to find its way into the international market.  Russia remains the key export destination, together with other smaller markets, including Moldova, Belarus and China.  A fair proportion of the exportable surplus has been moved to Riga, from where cotton has been sold on to the final destinations in Russia and other parts of Europe.

It is understood that some exportable cotton remains at the origin (totalling about 6,000 tonnes) and in Riga (about 5,000 tonnes).  The quality of some of these remnants is low, which has hampered marketing efforts.  The 2013/14 season has seen some deterioration of average quality, mainly due to an increase in machine picking (but without prior defoliation), as labour has become very expensive.

Related Links

• Kazakhstan: lower yields
• Kazakhstan: harvest progress
• Kazakhstan: further weather deterioration
• Kazakhstan: picking virtually complete, exports gathering momentum
• Kazakhstan: harvest progress update
• Uzbekistan: weather change

Posted in: Cotlook Headlines