The Egyptian cotton outlook

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Periodical article

Title:	The Egyptian cotton outlook
Author:	Anonymous
Year:	1996
Periodical:	Economic Bulletin - National Bank of Egypt
Volume:	49
Issue:	3
Pages:	10-22
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Egypt
Subjects:	exports cotton industry
Abstract:	Although cotton has for many years been Egypt's major agricultural export crop, exports of raw cotton and yarn witnessed a downswing in comparison to other Egyptian exports between 1985 and 1993. Raw cotton exports declined from 11 percent of total Egyptian commodity exports in 1985 to reach their lowest level, 1.4 percent, in 1993. Despite the relative boom since that year, raw cotton exports stood at only 4.4 percent of total exports in 1995. Cotton yarn exports declined from 87.1 percent of total semimanufactured commodities in 1985 to 50.2 percent in 1995. This article deals with the problems with which Egypt's cotton exports have been faced, including low production rates, scarce labour and high wages, decline in cultivated land, fierce competition between cotton mills, high production costs as a result of the government's price policies, importation of short staple cotton, inconsistent export policies, the cotton trade monopoly, and the indebtedness of exporting companies. The article finishes with an evaluation of the measures adopted to improve cotton exports. Note.