Iraq is the fourth cotton-producing Arab country
A boy with cotton harvested in the Raqa countryside in northern Syria. Photo: Delil Souleiman/AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – According to the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, Iraq was the fourth-largest producer of cotton in the Arab world in 2023.
For almost 40 years, China has been the world’s leading producer of cotton. In the 2023–2024 growing season, China produced 27.5 million bales (a bale of cotton weighs around 480 pounds), or 24 percent of the world’s total.
With a remarkable $13.3 billion in exports, China leads the cotton-producing countries as well, highlighting its vital role in the global textile market.
The US exports $10.7 billion worth of cotton products, placing it in second place.
Asian countries purchased more than two-thirds of total cotton supplies (67.9 percent) in order to support their textile industries, where cotton is a basic component.
Sudan, Egypt, and Syria are known as the Arab countries that produce the greatest amounts of cotton, with respective production rates of 600,000, 350,000, and 160,000 bales.
With an average of 15,000 bales, Iraq was the fourth-largest producer of cotton in the world in 2023, followed by Yemen with an average of 8,000 bales.