Rick King, National Cotton Council Regional Representative (left), accompanied the Turkish textile industry leaders as they visited the Lubbock area.

Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, AMCOT, the Texas Cotton Association, Lubbock Cotton Exchange, andPlains Cotton Growers hosted 11 textile industry leaders from Turkey on May 13, 2011, as they toured the U.S. Cotton Belt as part of a COTTON USA Special Trade Mission. Grady Martin, PCCA’s Director of Sales, spoke to the group about the cotton supply and qualities available through PCCA and AMCOT.

Grady Martin, PCCA’s Director of Sales, discussed cotton supplies available through PCCA and AMCOT.

The event, sponsored by the National Cotton Council’s (NCC) export promotions arm, Cotton Council International (CCI), was designed to build trade ties between the U.S. cotton industry and textile industry leaders from key Turkish mills.

“These textile executives viewed the advanced state of the U.S. industry and had the opportunity to meet with U.S. cotton exporters and other industry leaders,” said CCI President John D. Mitchell. “This was an important opportunity for U.S. cotton because the individual mills on the tour consume a total of more than 570,000 bales with U.S. imports of about 345,000 bales.”