A delegation of cotton producers and exporters from eastern andsouthern African countries met with their Vietnamese counterparts in HoChi Minh City on August 6 to explore business opportunities.
Accordingto the Vietnam Cotton and Spinning Association (Vcosa), more than 51percent of the materials needed for short-staple yarn production isnatural cotton, but last year local production met only 1.2 percent ofdemand.
The country had to import a lot of cotton from the US,South Asia, and Africa, it said, adding that imports would continue tobe the main source of raw materials for the spinning industry.
Speakingat a seminar titled "Market transparency – East and Southern AfricanCotton for Vietnamese Spinners", Nguyen Hong Giang, Vcosa GeneralSecretary, said last year Vietnam imported more than 581,000 tonnes ofcotton for 1.17 billion, up 39.1 percent from 2012, mainly from the US,India, Australia, Brazil, Ivory Coast, and Pakistan.
In the first seven months of this year the country imported 458,000 tonnes, up 34.9 percent, he said.
Butimports from Africa accounted for a modest portion, he said, addinghowever that he saw great potential for Vietnamese and African cottonbusinesses to boost cooperation.
Do Huu Huy, deputy head of theMinistry of Industry and Trade's Africa and South West Asia MarketDepartment, quoted Vietnamese firms as saying African cotton is offairly good quality and suitable for their yarn production.
"Butmost of the imports from Africa are done through commercial firms inFrance, Switzerland, and India, making them more expensive than directbuying," he pointed out.
Another problem is that cotton from eastAfrica usually has high sugar content, affecting the production processand product quality, he said, while Vietnamese firms sometimes alsofound cotton batches contaminated.
Due to imports through intermediaries, feedback on quality is a complicated process and takes a lot of time, he said.
Theseminar – organised by the International Trade Centre and Vcosa – isexpected to enable Vietnamese importers to work directly with Africancotton producers and exporters, he said.
Vietnamese firms canexpand imports from the region, share experience and research, andinvest in spinning mills in African countries, he said.
"Kenya,Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe all growcotton with a combined output of 450,000 tonnes per annum,” said MarcoCharles Mtunga of the Tanzania Cotton Board.
"Regional cotton consumption is still limited and that makes the region a good source of cotton lint."
Tanzania,for instance, produces 120,000 tonnes of cotton a year, he said, addingthat 70 percent of it is exported, mainly to China, Indonesia,Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Kenya.
A similar seminar is organised in the northern province of Thai Binh.-VNA
Accordingto the Vietnam Cotton and Spinning Association (Vcosa), more than 51percent of the materials needed for short-staple yarn production isnatural cotton, but last year local production met only 1.2 percent ofdemand.
The country had to import a lot of cotton from the US,South Asia, and Africa, it said, adding that imports would continue tobe the main source of raw materials for the spinning industry.
Speakingat a seminar titled "Market transparency – East and Southern AfricanCotton for Vietnamese Spinners", Nguyen Hong Giang, Vcosa GeneralSecretary, said last year Vietnam imported more than 581,000 tonnes ofcotton for 1.17 billion, up 39.1 percent from 2012, mainly from the US,India, Australia, Brazil, Ivory Coast, and Pakistan.
In the first seven months of this year the country imported 458,000 tonnes, up 34.9 percent, he said.
Butimports from Africa accounted for a modest portion, he said, addinghowever that he saw great potential for Vietnamese and African cottonbusinesses to boost cooperation.
Do Huu Huy, deputy head of theMinistry of Industry and Trade's Africa and South West Asia MarketDepartment, quoted Vietnamese firms as saying African cotton is offairly good quality and suitable for their yarn production.
"Butmost of the imports from Africa are done through commercial firms inFrance, Switzerland, and India, making them more expensive than directbuying," he pointed out.
Another problem is that cotton from eastAfrica usually has high sugar content, affecting the production processand product quality, he said, while Vietnamese firms sometimes alsofound cotton batches contaminated.
Due to imports through intermediaries, feedback on quality is a complicated process and takes a lot of time, he said.
Theseminar – organised by the International Trade Centre and Vcosa – isexpected to enable Vietnamese importers to work directly with Africancotton producers and exporters, he said.
Vietnamese firms canexpand imports from the region, share experience and research, andinvest in spinning mills in African countries, he said.
"Kenya,Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe all growcotton with a combined output of 450,000 tonnes per annum,” said MarcoCharles Mtunga of the Tanzania Cotton Board.
"Regional cotton consumption is still limited and that makes the region a good source of cotton lint."
Tanzania,for instance, produces 120,000 tonnes of cotton a year, he said, addingthat 70 percent of it is exported, mainly to China, Indonesia,Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Kenya.
A similar seminar is organised in the northern province of Thai Binh.-VNA
