Bangladesh Lifting a Nearly 50-Year Requirement for U.S. Cotton

With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.

Bangladesh is now lifting its nearly five-decade-long fumigation requirement on U.S. cotton imports. Don Parker, Vice President of Technical Services with the National Cotton Council…

“It was actually written into their laws that there was this fumigation requirement from the western countries that had boll weevil. We have worked for years to eradicate the boll weevil but, during that time, we also conducted a lot of research to make sure that we did not reinfest ourselves.”

In doing so, Parker says, it became unnecessary to fumigate bales…

“We were very happy that the Cotton Council International along with USDA FAS staff was able to identify a group that was sent from the Ministry of Ag from Bangladesh. The group came over, we hosted a tour for them to show them with certainty that what we were doing was protecting ourself more than anything. And that those measures meant that boll weevil was not in bales and so the requirement for that fumigation was not necessary.”

Parker says this gives a great opportunity to enhance the market for U.S. cotton in Bangladesh.