Egypt has imposed a temporary ban on cotton imports until the local crop has been sold, a financial newspaper reported on Thursday, saying there were problems marketing the domestic harvest. "This procedure will help solve the marketing problem for local cotton which is currently facing difficulties," Salah Moawad, president of the agricultural services sector at the Agriculture Ministry, told newspaper al-Mal.
Trade Ministry and Agriculture Ministry officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Marketing of the 2011/12 cotton crop is hampered by high price expectations from farmers and a lack of liquidity among traders, according to a US Department of Agriculture report.
Moawad said 50 million Egyptian pounds ($8.4 million) had been allocated by the Bank for Development and Agricultural Credit to buy cotton from local co-operatives. Farmers have been asking to sell their cotton at 1,700 pounds per qintar (160 Kg) while the price of imported cotton is around 1,500 pounds per qintar.
Egypt's local cotton production is estimated at 3.7 million qintars of which 2 million qintars will be exported, leaving only 1.7 million qintars for the domestic market, not enough to fulfil local demand, said Adel Ezzi, president of a committee for Egypt's domestic cotton trade. "The delay of importing cotton is not expected to last until the end of the current season in August," he told al-Mal.