Taiwan’s cotton import volume in March was strong at 111,796 480-pound bales, which was up from 81,778 bales in February and reflected 20.2 percent year-on-year growth. Taiwan’s spinners have done an excellent job of accumulating cotton inventories before international prices rallied. Total August 2006 through March 2007 cotton imports have expanded 15.4 percent to 783,475 480-pound bales.

The top import origins in March were the U.S. (47,564 bales), India (31,077 bales), Mali (8,836 bales) and Burkina Faso (8,248 bales). The second largest import origin this season is the African Franc Zone, with imports increasing to 165,772 480-pound bales, while India has emerged as the fourth largest supplier at 94,970 bales.