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SUPIMA IN THE NEWS: The California crop

By Nancy Boyd

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, Calif.—Here in California the extra-long staple (known as ELS) pima cotton that goes into Supima is big news.

So when demand for Supima skyrockets, that becomes big news too.

Here, in an exhaustively thorough study of California’s extra-long staple cotton crop headlined “CALIFORNIA’S EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO RR ELS” is some of what reporter Harry Cline had to say:

World Pima demand has gone through the roof. Merchants are saying the small 2009-2010 American Pima crop will be sold out before the new marketing year begins in August. This is driving Pima prices much higher.

Current ELS spot quotes are above $1.20 per pound. Registered export sales for the 2009-2010 crop year are nearing 600,000 bales, 557 percent of the sales level at the same time last year when only 105,800 bales in sales had been registered. This season’s shipments stand at 915 percent of last year with 530,800 bales shipped versus 58,000 bales at the same time last season, according to Supima, the marketing/promotion association for American Pima cotton.

California produces more than 90 percent of America’s Pima cotton.

For the full story, go to the Western Farm Press website.