Vietnam News Network

A field of cotton plants in Tuy An District in the central province of Phu Yen. US cotton associations have pledged to help Viet Nam develop the textile and garment industry.

A co-operation agreement has been inked between VITAS, the Texas Cotton Association and the International Cotton Council (CCI), the export promotion arm of the National Cotton Council of America. CCI’s mission is to increase exports of US cotton, cottonseed and US manufactured cotton products.

Under the agreement, the US side will not only supply cotton and provide technical assistance to Viet Nam, but also help in training personnel and organising trade promotion activities.

During the PM’s visit, Viet Nam Textile and Apparel Association also expressed a desire to take part in the commercial import-export assistance programmes of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), whose mandate is to facilitate the export of US agricultural commodities to developing countries. The CCI and the USDA will provide information and create favourable conditions for Viet Nam to join the programmes in the near future.

The US is the largest cotton supplier in the world, expected to produce over 3.2 million tonnes in 2008-09. It is also Viet Nam’s premier cotton provider, supplying 30 per cent of the country’s imported cotton.

Meanwhile, Viet Nam has been in the top five exporters of textiles and garments to the US for the past three consecutive years, with an export value of $4.29 billion per year.

This year, Viet Nam is expected to export $5.4 billion worth of textiles and garments to the US market to secure second place behind China in the export of these products to the US.