Cotlook Index: 17-09-2026
94.35 (-0.25)
21 Cotton Testing Labs to Be Modernized in India Under ₹38.72 Crore Project
Thursday, 17th Sep 2026, Yash Chouhan, (Source: www.smartinfoindia.com)
21 cotton testing labs in India to be modernized, ₹38.72 crore project
New Delhi: Amid efforts to make India a global cotton and textile hub, the central government is working to modernize cotton fiber testing facilities in the country. According to two government officials, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is accelerating the process of modernizing 21 labs located in major cotton-producing regions. Under this project worth approximately ₹38.72 crore, these labs will be equipped with modern testing equipment. These will be used to assess the quality and impurities of cotton fiber. Under this project, which is being overseen by the Consumer Affairs Department, labs operated by the Textiles Committee, Powerloom Service Centers, and the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) will be upgraded.This initiative aims to strengthen the testing capacity and quality assessment infrastructure for cotton fiber in India. Modern testing facilities will help in more effectively assessing cotton quality. The government is focusing on making India's cotton and textile sectors more competitive globally. Modernizing testing infrastructure is part of efforts to strengthen Indian cotton quality and textile exports.
Cotton Procurement Begins in Jamthi Maharashtra, First-Day Price Reaches ₹8,101 per Quintal
Friday, 18th Sep 2026, Yash Chouhan, (Source: www.smartinfoindia.com)
Cotton procurement begins in Jamthi, Maharashtra; price of ₹8,101 per quintal recorded on day onePrivate traders have commenced cotton procurement in Bodwad, Jamthi, and surrounding areas. Crop conditions have deteriorated due to heavy rainfall over the past few days, and the cotton crop is not yet fully ready in many farmers' fields. Farmers are struggling to save their crops amidst these challenging circumstances, yet they remain hopeful that cotton prices will be favorable this year. Meanwhile, procurement by private traders began in Jamthi. On the first day, Santosh Dhangar, a farmer from Yevti, arrived to sell 50 kg of cotton. Upon the arrival of the season's first cotton in Jamthi, private trader Jitendra Gurubhaiya and Devidas Patil (a driver for the Agriculture Center) honored farmer Santosh Dhangar by presenting him with a shawl and a coconut.The price of cotton on the first day stood at ₹8,101 per quintal.
ICE cotton plunges as weak demand, harvest pressure weigh
Friday, 18th Sep 2026, (Source: www.fibre2fashion.com)
Insights: ICE December 2026 cotton settled at 82.17 cents per pound, down 2.60 per cent, losing 605 points over five sessions. US Upland sales fell 30 per cent below the four-week average, while shipments were 26 per cent lower amid weak export demand. Harvest pressure, a stronger dollar, softer crude oil and high open interest kept futures under pressure as traders assessed US crop yields.
ICE cotton futures fell sharply yesterday, extending their decline for a fifth consecutive session as weak export demand, advancing US harvest pressure and a broadly negative commodity environment continued to weigh on the market. The decline accelerated despite futures already being heavily oversold.
The most active December 2026 contract settled at 82.17 cents per pound, down 2.19 cents, or 2.60 per cent. It traded as low as 82.12 cents, its lowest level since August 5.
December cotton lost 605 points over five consecutive sessions. Since reaching a contract-high close of 93.14 cents on August 31, the contract has closed lower in 10 of the past 12 sessions and declined by a cumulative 1,097 points, or 10.97 cents. The fall erased approximately 60 per cent of the gains accumulated since mid-June.
Most contracts across the futures board also weakened, settling between 19 and 208 points lower. Only the four most distant contracts managed to close around five points higher.
Trading activity increased sharply during the sell-off. Total volume surged to 80,969 contracts, the highest in nine sessions, compared with 40,922 contracts in the previous session. The rise showed that the steep decline attracted substantially greater market participation rather than occurring in thin trade.
Open interest (OI) also remained exceptionally high. OI began the session at 381,776 contracts, up 1,570 contracts from the previous report and representing the fifth-highest level recorded in ICE cotton.
The combination of falling prices and rising OI suggested that traders were adding positions as the market declined rather than the fall being driven entirely by liquidation. Subsequent OI data and the Commitment of Traders report may provide greater clarity on whether speculative funds increased short positions or whether other positioning contributed to the rise.
The latest US Department of Agriculture weekly export-sales report added to the bearish sentiment. For the week ended September 10, total net sales amounted to 85,677 bales, comprising 77,391 bales of Upland cotton and 8,286 bales of Pima.
Vietnam was the leading buyer with 28,169 bales, followed by Guatemala with 19,610 bales and Pakistan with 7,904 bales. Current-marketing-year US Upland sales were reported at 71,231 bales, down 4 per cent from the previous week and 30 per cent below the four-week average. Sales for the next marketing year totalled around 6,160 bales.
Export shipments reached 146,151 bales, comprising 142,076 bales of Upland and 4,075 bales of Pima. Shipments were approximately 20 per cent lower than the previous week and 26 per cent below the four-week average. Shipments to China were limited to 24,437 bales.
The weaker export performance reinforced concerns that demand may not be strong enough to absorb increasing supplies from the incoming US crop. With harvesting progressing, traders are increasingly assessing whether physical demand can keep pace with the expected rise in new-crop availability.
Seasonal harvest pressure has also become a more important market factor. As additional cotton enters the physical market, increased availability can reduce mills’ urgency to purchase and place further pressure on futures prices.
Outside markets remained unfavourable. A stronger US dollar made dollar-denominated cotton more expensive for overseas buyers, potentially weakening the competitiveness of US cotton in international markets.
Lower crude oil prices also reduced support from the polyester-substitution channel. Falling oil prices can lower polyester production costs and make the synthetic fibre more competitive against cotton. Weakness in corn, soybeans and the broader commodity complex added to the negative risk environment.
The market is now facing three simultaneous pressures: weak export demand, increasing harvest availability and exceptionally high open interest. Although December cotton had already fallen nearly 11 cents from its August 31 high, the surge in trading volume indicated that the correction remained active.
Weather conditions and actual harvest results could become increasingly important at current price levels. Any evidence that the US crop is smaller than expected could eventually counterbalance the weak demand picture and provide support to futures.
Overall, ICE cotton remained under intense pressure from disappointing exports, advancing harvest activity, a stronger dollar and softer crude oil prices. December 2026 cotton settled at 82.17 cents, down 605 points over five sessions and 1,097 points from its August 31 high. The market will now closely monitor the COT report, weekly export sales, harvest progress and actual US crop yields.
This morning (Indian Standard Time), December 2026 cotton was trading at 82.32 cents per pound, up 0.15 per cent. Cash cotton rose 2.98 per cent to 79.67 cents, while the October 2026 contract fell 2.03 per cent to 78.41 cents. March 2027 was at 84.99 cents, up 0.18 per cent; May 2027 was at 86.47 cents, up 0.16 per cent; and July 2027 was at 86.33 cents, up 0.08 per cent.
ITMF names winners of 2026 International Collaboration Awards
Friday, 18th Sep 2026, (Source: www.fibre2fashion.com)
Insights: ITMF has named HeiQ and Archroma and Lenzing and Armedangels as winners of its 2026 International Collaboration Awards, recognising textile partnerships aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The winners will present projects on scaling innovation and sustainable collaboration at the ITMF and IAF Conference in Fortaleza, Brazil, October 14–15.
The winners of the ITMF International Collaboration Awards 2026 will present their project at the upcoming ITMF & IAF Conference 2026 which will be held from 14 - 15 October 2026 in Fortaleza, Brazil and will be co-hosted by ABIT (Brazilian Textile & Apparel Industry Association).
The objectives of the ITMF International Collaboration Awards are to recognise progress in the area of international collaboration in the textile industry according to the values of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The 2 winners of the ITMF International Collaboration Award 2026 are (in alphabetical order):
HeiQ and Archroma:
Project: Alone we Innovate. Together we Scale
Lenzing and Armedangels:
Project: The Power of Collaboration: Driving Innovation for a More Sustainable Textile Industry.
Bangladesh gas supply improves on higher LNG imports
Friday, 18th Sep 2026, (Source: www.fibre2fashion.com)
Insights: Bangladesh's gas supply rose to 2,610 mmcfd on Tuesday, supported by 990 mmcfd of imported regasified LNG and 1,620 mmcfd from domestic gas fields. The improved supply is expected to ease pressure on industries, power plants and other gas-dependent consumers that have faced supply constraints, while helping meet the country's overall demand.
Bangladesh’s total gas supply reached 2,610 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) at noon on Tuesday, with imported regasified liquefied natural gas (LNG) accounting for nearly 38 per cent of the supply, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources. Domestic gas fields supplied 1,620 mmcfd, while regasified LNG contributed 990 mmcfd, helping supplement declining domestic production and meet overall demand. The improved supply is expected to ease pressure on the country’s gas distribution system, particularly for industries, power plants and other gas-dependent consumers that have faced supply constraints.The supply figure highlights the growing role of LNG in supporting Bangladesh’s gas network as domestic production declines and demand remains high.
Indian Rupee Falls 14 Paise to Close at 95.87 Against US Dollar.
Friday, 18th Sep 2026, Yash Chouhan, (Source: www.smartinfoindia.com)
The Indian rupee weakened by 14 paise against the US dollar on Friday, closing at ₹95.87 per dollar. The domestic currency opened at ₹95.73 against the US dollar and fluctuated throughout the trading session. It eventually closed at ₹95.87, down 14 paise from the opening level.
At the 3:30 pm post-CAS close, the Sensex fell 20 points to 74,294.96, while the Nifty gained 75.80 points to 23,346.40. Market breadth remained strong, with 2,531 shares advancing against 1,452 declines.
