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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Cotton Structure and Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #191984

Title: UPDATE ON CHINESE COTTON CLASSIFICATION REFORM

Author
item Cui, Xiaoliang

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/2006
Publication Date: 6/16/2006
Citation: Cui, X. 2006. Update on chinese cotton classification reform. Proceedings of Beltwide Cotton Conference. CD-ROM. P. 2517-2519..

Interpretive Summary: China is now the leading market for U.S. cotton export, and the world's biggest cotton producer and consumer. In 2004, China started to reform its cotton classification system that would convert the current manual classification system to a fully instrument based classification system in 5 years beginning in August of 2005. The contents of the reform involve: sampling from produceers (gins) instead of buyers (textile mills); using instruments for classing; establish new cotton quality standards; adopting a standard bale weight of 227kg (about 500 lbs); regulating bale weight by requiring moisture content to be within range; applying permanent bale identification card on every bale; developing commercial cotton warehousing; and reorganizing the China Fiber Inspection Bureau to shift personnel, facilities and equipment currently concentrated in textile-manufacturing regions to cotton production regions. The progress of the reform is updated, and the challenges the reform is facing are discussed. Some features of the Chinese cotton industry are also discussed.

Technical Abstract: China is now the leading market for U.S. cotton export, and the world's biggest cotton producer and consumer. In 2004, China started to reform its cotton classification system that would convert the current manual classification sywtem to a fully instrument based classification system in 5 years beginning in August of 2005. The contents of the reform involve: 1. Sampling from producers (gins) instead of buyers (textile mills). 2. Using instrumenets for classing. 3. Establish new cotton quality standards. 4. Adopting a standard bale weight of 227 kg (about 500 lbs.) 5. Regulating bale weight by requiring moisture content to be within range. 6. Applying permanent bale identification card on every bale. The informaton on the PBI will be combined with the office classing results, and entered into the Chinese national cotton information system. 7. Developing commercial cotton warehousing. 8. Reorganizing the China Fiber Inspection Bureau to shift personnel, facilities and equipment currently concentrated in textile-manufacturing regions to cotton production regions. So far, the cotton classification reform has made substantial progress, but it still facing many challenges.