Cotton Production

Cotton is cultivated throughout most of regions in Syria. The area sown to cotton in the 1998-1999 season was 236,193 hectares, which represents 5.4% of the total cultivated area in Syria.  The total production for the same season was around 930,000 ton.  Almost 390,000 people worked in cotton agriculture and related activities during that season which represents 10% of the total work force in Syria. 

Cotton cultivation in Syria is managed and planned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, through a unit specialized in cotton agriculture issues, named the Cotton Bureau located in Aleppo.

Cotton production in Syria 1995-2000:

Source of information: Cotton Bureau / Ministry of Agriculture

Cotton Ginning

Foreign investments in cotton farming and cotton ginning are prohibited. All the Cotton produced in the country is purchased by the Cotton Ginning and Marketing Organisation (CGMO) which is an autonomous government institution established by presidential decree number 106 in 1965. it is the unique party that purchases, gins and sells cotton in Syria.

Cotton ginning and ginned cotton marketing are done only by CGMO: it is the unique supplier of ginned cotton to the local market. The ginned cotton is sold to state-owned cotton mills or exported.  Almost 60% of ginned cotton is exported without processing.