30 / SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2017 AS A FIBER, feed and food crop, cotton is unrivaled around the world as an agricultural crop that, as the U.S. National Cotton Council notes, provides thousands of useful products and sup- ports millions of jobs as it moves from field to fabric. And as the world’s popula- tion rockets toward 8 billion (it reached 7 billion in 2012), the need and demand for cotton will continue to climb. Around the world, 73.3 million acres were devoted to the production of the 2015-16 crop, which produced more than 106 million bales, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Top 5 cotton-producing countries include India, China, United States, Pakistan and Brazil. China traditionally sat atop the heap but was surpassed by India last year as China introduced policies to trim produc- tion and reduce government stockpiles. The USDA predicted that 2016-17 world cotton production would increase 4 percent from the previous year to about 110 million bales, with the bulk of increases coming from India and the United States. While production is expected to increase, mill use consumption lags, which has increased ending stocks and forced prices lower. This slashes hope for near-future production increases. U.S. Cottonseed Production Cotton producers intended to plant 11 million cotton acres this spring, up 9.4 percent from 2016, according to the National Cotton Council’s (NCC) 36th Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey.  Upland cotton intentions are 10.8 million acres, up 8.8 percent from 2016, while extra-long staple (ELS) intentions of 266,000 acres represent a 36.9 per- cent increase. “Planted acreage is just one of the factors that will determine supplies of cotton and cottonseed. Ultimately, weather, insect pressures and agronomic conditions play a significant role in deter- mining crop size,” says Jody Campiche, NCC vice president of economics and policy analysis. With expected increases in global cotton production, prices aren’t likely to increase. Nonetheless, seed companies invest in varieties with improved water-use efficiency, enhanced disease resistance and increased flexibility for in-season management. Frank Zaworski The World is a Boll of Cotton INDIA 5,748,000 CHINA 4,790,000 USA 2,806,000 PAKISTAN 1,524,000 BRAZIL 1,285,000 Top 5 Cottonseed Producing Countries Cottonseed Production (metric tons) INDIA 26.9% % of W o r l d T o t a l CHINA 22.4% [OTHERS] 24.4% USA 13.1% PAKISTAN 7.1% BRAZIL 6% Source: Statista 2015-16