Marketing and Sales of Cotton

 

The public sector, through its different institutions, is the only player in the cotton market.

Seed cotton and raw cotton can be traded only by the CGMO.  Seed cotton, raw cotton, cotton yarn, cotton fabrics and ready made garments are prohibited from importation.

Cotton products sales

CGMO sells raw cotton to the domestic market and to foreign markets.  All the raw cotton is sold, of which an average of 60% is exported, without processing.  In 2000 almost 65% of raw cotton exports were to Western Europe. CGMO has two branches, in Tartous and in Latakia, which manage the export procedures.

All the raw cotton sold in the domestic market is purchased by state-owned textile enterprises working under GOTI.  These enterprises process raw cotton into cotton yarn, cotton fabric, ready-made garments and other secondary products.  These products are sold mainly to the local market.  Processed cotton exports are limited and they are composed mainly of cotton yarns.

The state-owned enterprises produce, as shown below, cotton yarns, cotton fabric, cotton garments and medical products.

Product	1998	1999
Cotton yarn	67,316 ton	69,748 ton
Cotton fabric	67,843 km	63,869 km
Cotton garment	887,000 dozen	881,000  dozen
Medical products	336 ton	314 ton

 Source of information: GOTI Annual Performance Report 1999

Sales of Syrian cotton products in the domestic market in 1999:

Syrian exports of cotton products in 1999:

  Raw cotton Syrian exports by region in 1999 and 2000