Cotlook Index: 09-07-2026
89.75 (-0.50)
ICE cotton weakens as profit booking, lower crude weigh on prices
Fri. 10th July 2026 (Source: www.fibre2fashion.com/news)
Insights: ICE cotton futures fell for a second straight session as profit-taking and lower crude oil prices outweighed weather concerns and export demand.
The December 2026 contract settled at 80.63 cents/lb.
Traders stayed cautious ahead of the USDA's July WASDE report, while weaker US export sales and lower trading volumes added to market pressure.
ICE cotton futures further declined on second consecutive day yesterday. The profit booking continued which offset support from weather concerns and export demand. Traders were reluctant to add fresh long positions ahead of USDA WASDE report. While, falling crude oil further added pressure on cotton prices, while US cotton export sales declined from the previous week.
The most active December 2026 contract settled at 80.63 cents, down 0.04 cent. The contract remained 351 points higher for the week and closed above the 80-cent level for the third consecutive session. Other nearby contracts settled 5 to 24 points lower.
Prices fell sharply during the first half of the session before recovering most of their losses by the close, reflecting continued buying interest at lower levels. Market analysts attributed the weakness primarily to profit-taking following the recent rally, noting that much of the weather premium had already been priced in. Despite the pullback, the market remained technically constructive after moving above the 40-day moving average, although traders were cautious about adding fresh long positions ahead of the USDA's WASDE report.
Crude oil prices declined further, putting pressure on cotton by lowering polyester production costs and improving the competitiveness of synthetic fibres. Oil prices weakened as the market viewed the risk of significant Middle East supply disruptions as limited despite ongoing regional tensions.
Trading volume fell to 44,291 contracts from 54,192 in the previous session, reflecting cautious participation ahead of the USDA's July World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report.
The USDA's Weekly Export Sales Report for the week ended July 2, showed net Upland cotton export sales of 66,400 bales, down 36 per cent from the previous week but 20 per cent above the four-week average. China purchased 3,294 bales of current-crop cotton, while next-crop sales reached 86,971 bales.
The US Climate Prediction Center continued to project a 97 per cent probability of La Niña developing by late 2026 or early 2027, heightening concerns over hotter and drier conditions across the southern US cotton belt that could affect the next crop.
CBOT corn, soybean, and wheat futures also declined as traders booked profits, ahead of the USDA's supply and demand report.
Market participants remained cautious ahead of the USDA's July WASDE report, which is expected to provide updated estimates for global cotton production, consumption, exports and ending stocks, and could set the next major direction for cotton prices.
This morning (Indian Standard Time), ICE cotton for December 2026 traded at 80.57 cents per pound (down 0.06 cent), cash cotton at 74.93 cents (down 0.05 cent), October 2026 at 78.93 cents (unchanged), March 2027 at 81.97 cents (unchanged), May 2027 at 82.71 cents (down 0.06 cent), and July 2027 at 82.28 cents (down 0.06 cent). A few contracts remained at their previous closing levels, with no trades recorded so far today.
Telangana Cotton Sowing Rises by 4.85 Lakh Acres During Kharif 2026
Fri. 10th July 2026, Jayesh Chouhan (Source: www.smartinfoindia.com)
Surge in Cotton Sowing in Telangana; Acreage Up by 4.85 Lakh Acres Compared to Last Year
Hyderabad, July 8: A significant increase in cotton sowing has been recorded in Telangana during the Kharif 2026 season. As of July 8, 2026, cotton has been sown across 3,944,271 acres in the state, whereas the figure stood at 3,458,849 acres during the same period last year. This represents an increase of 485,422 acres in the area sown with cotton so far this year.
According to district-wise data, Nalgonda recorded the highest increase at 197,352 acres. This was followed by notable increases in Nagarkurnool (+49,481 acres), Jangaon (+44,904 acres), Suryapet (+40,726 acres), Sangareddy (+40,020 acres), and Khammam (+19,079 acres).
Meanwhile, the cotton sowing area also expanded compared to the previous year in several other districts, including Kamareddy, Karimnagar, Rangareddy, Jogulamba Gadwal, Mahabubabad, Narayanpet, and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri.
On the other hand, a decline in cotton sowing was recorded in some districts. Key among these are Hanamkonda (-15,793 acres), Mancherial (-13,795 acres), Vikarabad (-12,655 acres), Siddipet (-12,382 acres), Warangal (-9,610 acres), and Bhadradri Kothagudem (-7,993 acres).
Cotton, Soybean Sowing Gains Pace
Fri. 10th July 2026, Yash Chouhan (Source: www.smartinfoindia.com)
Kharif: Cotton and soybean sowing gains momentum with the arrival of the monsoon; total acreage may surpass last year's levels
Sowing of Kharif crops has accelerated as the Southwest monsoon has covered the entire country. Cultivation of cotton and soybean has picked up pace. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and SOPA, good rainfall has boosted farmer interest and strengthened production prospects.
The Southwest monsoon has now reached the entire country. On July 9, it advanced into the remaining parts of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab, as well as the northern Arabian Sea, completing its nationwide coverage. This has raised expectations for an acceleration in Kharif crop sowing.
Driven by good rainfall, cotton sowing—which was lagging 23 percent behind last year's figures—has gained momentum. As of July 5, the total cotton acreage stood at 63.18 lakh hectares, compared to 82 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year. After lagging in previous weeks, cotton sowing has now picked up in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh. In some areas, farmers are shifting from paddy to cotton and pulses, as these crops offer better prospects. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, cotton production for the year 2025-26 stood at 290.91 lakh bales (each bale weighing 170 kg), which is lower than the 297.24 lakh bales produced in 2024-25.
90 percent of soybean area covered
According to the Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA), the soybean acreage for the current Kharif season is estimated at 1.003 crore hectares. Sowing has covered approximately 80 to 90 percent of the total target area across key states. Government estimates indicate that soybean sowing has been completed on 57 lakh hectares so far. In Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, soybean sowing has been completed on approximately 90 percent of the area. In Maharashtra, it has reached approximately 80–90 percent of the target area. SOPA believes that the total soybean acreage during the 2026 Kharif season is likely to surpass last year's levels.
India revamps powerloom centres into textile development hubs
Fri. 10th July 2026 (Source: www.fibre2fashion.com/news)
Insights: India's textile ministry is recasting former Powerloom Service Centres as ITADCs to offer skills, testing, design, technology, credit, export and market support. The hubs target textile entrepreneurs and MSMEs needing faster access to services across the value chain.
ATUFS impact data points to machinery modernization, investment leverage and direct job creation.
Indian Ministry of Textiles is repositioning erstwhile Powerloom Service Centres as Integrated Textile and Apparel Development Centres (ITADCs), aiming to create one-stop support hubs for textile entrepreneurs, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and other value-chain stakeholders.
The Minister for Textiles Giriraj Singh reviewed the shift at a high-level meeting on technology upgradation, institutional reforms and industry support. The revamped centres are intended to provide skill development, testing, design support, technology adoption, entrepreneurship development, credit facilitation, export promotion and market linkages.
The centres trained over 1,170 trainees and reached nearly 1,770 textile units through outreach programmes during the reviewed quarter, while also supporting credit access, e-commerce linkages and product-led entrepreneurship around bamboo, hemp, flax, banana and pineapple fibres, the Ministry of Textiles said in a press release.
Citing an independent third-party impact assessment of the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS), the ministry said that 10,061 units had received subsidy assistance of ₹27.76 billion ($331 million), mobilising investments of more than ₹531.21 billion ($6.32 billion).
The assessment also linked the scheme to nearly 670,000 benchmarked textile machines and about 360,000 direct employment opportunities.
Every ₹10 million ($119,000) of subsidy mobilised nearly ₹190 million ($2.26 million) of private investment and created around 130 direct jobs. It added that the weaving sector accounted for 46 per cent of total subsidy, while 46 per cent of new employment generated in composite units amounted to nearly 170,000 jobs.
Singh also inaugurated a revamped Office of the Textile Commissioner website and a Key Performance Indicator portal for ITADCs, designed for field-level data capture, benchmarking, dashboards and structured reviews.
The ministry directed field offices to work with the Textile Committee, Export Promotion Councils, Textile Research Associations, state governments and industry associations to improve scheme implementation and outreach to textile enterprises.
US cotton export sales recover but remain below four-week average
Fri. 10th July 2026 (Source: www.fibre2fashion.com/news)
Insights: US Upland cotton export sales rose 36 per cent to 66,400 running bales (RB) in the week ended July 2, led by Vietnam and India, while shipments increased 5 per cent to 230,100 RB. New-crop sales also strengthened. Pima cotton sales rebounded, but export shipments declined sharply from the previous week's seasonal peak despite stronger buying interest.
US cotton export sales recovered modestly in the week ended July 2, 2026, as Upland cotton bookings rebounded from the previous week’s low, although demand remained below the recent four-week trend. Export shipments also improved slightly, while Pima cotton sales strengthened from the previous week, despite lower export volumes, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) weekly export sales report.
Net sales of Upland cotton for the 2025-26 marketing year totalled 66,400 RB (running bales, each weighing 226.8 kg), up 36 per cent from the previous week, but 49 per cent below the prior four-week average. Vietnam was the largest buyer with purchases of 23,500 RB, followed closely by India with 23,400 RB, Mexico with 10,400 RB, Bangladesh with 4,000 RB and China with 3,300 RB. These gains were partially offset by net reductions for Pakistan, Switzerland, Hong Kong, and South Korea.
New-crop Upland cotton export sales for the 2026-27 marketing year rose to 87,000 RB, led by Vietnam with 48,700 RB, followed by Türkiye with 30,800 RB, Japan with 2,400 RB, Indonesia with 2,400 RB and Ecuador with 1,600 RB.
Upland export shipments increased to 230,100 RB, up 5 per cent from the previous week, but 14 per cent below the prior four-week average. Vietnam remained the leading destination with shipments of 85,400 RB, followed by Pakistan with 42,800 RB, Türkiye with 23,900 RB, Bangladesh with 21,200 RB and Mexico with 18,400 RB.
Pima cotton also showed stronger buying interest during the week. Net sales for the 2025-26 marketing year totalled 2,600 RB, rising sharply from the previous week, but remaining 42 per cent, below the prior four-week average. Vietnam led purchases with 1,300 RB, followed by India with 700 RB, while Bangladesh, Türkiye, and Indonesia each booked 200 RB. New-crop Pima cotton sales for the 2026-27 marketing year reached 17,500 RB, entirely for India.
Pima export shipments, however, fell to 10,600 RB, down 57 per cent from the previous week and 38 per cent below the prior four-week average. India remained the largest destination with shipments of 8,300 RB, followed by Peru with 700 RB, Pakistan with 400 RB, Thailand with 300 RB and Türkiye with 300 RB.
The latest USDA data indicated a partial recovery in US cotton export demand, after the previous week's weakness. Upland sales and shipments improved modestly, supported by stronger buying from Vietnam and India, while new-crop commitments also accelerated. Pima sales rebounded significantly, driven by India and Vietnam, although export shipments retreated sharply from the previous week's seasonal peak.
Europe's EU Ecolabel links textiles to circular economy
Fri. 10th July 2026 (Source: www.fibre2fashion.com/news)
Insights: Europe's circular economy shift is raising expectations for goods, services and business claims, with the EU Ecolabel positioned as a practical market tool.
For textile suppliers, the label highlights restrictions on hazardous substances, durability and lower production impacts.
Verified criteria can support sourcing decisions and greener procurement in a crowded sustainability market.
Europe’s move towards a circular economy is changing the expectations placed on products, services and business claims, with the EU Ecolabel being positioned as a tool for translating environmental policy into market criteria relevant to textile and apparel supply chains, according to the European Commission.
For textile suppliers and sourcing teams, the label’s criteria promote restrictions on hazardous substances, durability and reduced environmental impacts during production, said the commission's directorate-general for Environment said in a news announcement.
Across other product groups, the EU Ecolabel also addresses packaging, resource efficiency, material sourcing, repairability, emissions and end-of-life considerations, underlining a life-cycle approach rather than a final-product assessment alone.
The European Commission said the EU Ecolabel supports the EU’s work on the Circular Economy Act and the implementation of the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive. The Commission said the directive refers to the EU Ecolabel as proof of recognised excellent environmental performance, offering companies and buyers a more credible way to identify products assessed against transparent environmental criteria.
Malgorzata Golebiewska, EU Ecolabel team leader at the European Commission said: "The EU Ecolabel works like a circularity sandbox, where businesses test, validate and market sustainable products, de-risking tomorrow's regulatory hurdles. For SMEs and multinational businesses alike, it is a smart way to turn compliance into a competitive advantage."
Melanie Kenway, RESH director for Global Environmental Processes at Essity, noted at the EU Circular Talk:
"The EU Ecolabel certification scheme aligns with Essity’s strategy when it comes to lifecycle perspective, because it offers third-party verification that our products offer reduced environmental impacts, without compromising hygiene or functionality. It is a powerful and credible tool."
For exporters, manufacturers and retail buyers serving European markets, the Commission’s framing signals that verified environmental criteria may become more important in product design, supplier selection and public procurement.
The Commission also cited recent scientific research finding a positive association between EU Ecolabel diffusion amongst EU countries and circular economy performance.
Giriraj Singh Reviews Textile Sector Schemes, Highlights ITADCs' Growing Role
Fri. 10th July 2026, Jayesh Chouhan (Source: www.smartinfoindia.com)
Giriraj Singh reviewed major schemes of textile sector, laid emphasis on the role of ITADCs
New Delhi, July 9 (PTI): Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday assessed the progress of key initiatives aimed at technology upgradation, institutional reforms and better support to the industry at a high-level review meeting. The objective of the meeting was to make India's textile ecosystem more robust and competitive.
The meeting reviewed the progress in converting old Powerloom Service Centers into Integrated Textile and Apparel Development Centers (ITADCs). These centers are being developed as one-stop facilitation centers for the textile industry, where services like skill development, product testing, design assistance, technical support, credit facilities, export promotion and market linkages will be provided to entrepreneurs, MSMEs and other stakeholders.
During the first quarter of FY 2026-27, ITADCs trained more than 1,170 people and reached out to about 1,770 textile units through outreach programmes. Apart from this, institutional credit, e-commerce linkages, product-based entrepreneurship and commercialization of new fibers like bamboo, hemp, flax, banana and pineapple were also promoted.
Giriraj Singh said that ITADCs are no longer just service centres, but are evolving into innovation and enterprise development centres. He expressed confidence that these centers will play an important role in empowering MSMEs, increasing exports, creating sustainable employment and making India's textile sector more competitive globally.
The Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS) was also reviewed in the meeting. According to the ministry, subsidy worth Rs 2,776 crore was provided to 10,061 units under the scheme, attracting investment of over Rs 53,121 crore. Through the scheme, about 6.7 lakh modern textile machines were installed and about 3.6 lakh direct employment was created. The study also found that every Rs 1 crore of subsidy resulted in private investment of about Rs 19 crore, indicating the effectiveness of the scheme.
