Maintaining NAFTA benefits is crucial, says US cotton council

The US must remain a participant in a vibrant North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because it has been and can continue to be a very positive trading platform for US agriculture, including cotton and textiles, the National Cotton Council (NCC) of America has said. NAFTA trading partners—Canada and Mexico—are significant markets for US fibre exports.

With purchases exceeding 1 million bales, Mexico has emerged as one of US raw cotton’s top five export destinations, and NAFTA plays a critical role in North America’s highly integrated textile and apparel supply chain, said NCC chairman Ronnie Lee.

“With 95 per cent of US cotton exported in some form, we need positive and stable trading relationships with our international customers to maintain a healthy US cotton sector,” said Lee, a Bronwood, Ga., cotton producer.

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He stated that as the process of updating and renegotiating NAFTA proceeds, the US cotton industry “urges the Administration to stay involved in this important trade agreement and not weaken current provisions. A strengthening of the textile rules of origin and a modernisation of NAFTA can lead to an expansion of jobs and exports for our nation. This is a very sound way to grow our economy.”