2011 ANNUAL PREVIEW: The Winners Will Be Those Who Adapt and Enjoy the Wild Ride

By Jim.Robinson|January 6, 2011

I never imagined the adventure I would have when I established my company seven years ago. I had an idea of what to expect based on my prior eight years of experience in the cotton business, but what I have witnessed so far is an adventure like that of Indiana Jones!

I think we cotton merchants could easily compare ourselves to Indiana Jones, except that our adventures are real! Seriously, what is happening to our cotton business? Could anyone have imagined such high prices and demand for cotton in 2010 when we were all going through such disastrous times in 2008?
I remember the disappointed faces of my colleagues at cotton events in 2008. Several of the most storied cotton merchants were forced out of business and the remainder were extremely concerned about their own futures.

Cotton people are worried today too, but for completely different reasons. Historically high cotton prices–combined with historically low stock levels and mixed together with natural disasters in Pakistan and China–have jointly created another type of dangerous situation for the cotton industry.

You can read the rest of this article and dozens of others when the 2011 Cotton International Annual Edition is published. Be sure to watch for it in your mailbox!