USMCA Offers Stability for U.S. Cotton in Key Markets

By Cotton Grower Staff|February 3, 2020

The National Cotton Council (NCC) applauded President Trump’s signing of the Congressionally-approved U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

NCC Chairman Mike Tate said this agreement will provide a boost in trade certainty for U.S. cotton and cotton textile products in the North American market. Mexico is the second largest export market for U.S. cotton textile/apparel products, and Canada is the fourth largest for these goods. Mexico is also a top market for U.S. raw cotton.

Tate, an Alabama cotton producer, said the USMCA – which updates and modifies the North American Free Trade Agreement – includes a textile chapter that offers significant improvements for domestic textile manufacturers and workers. Those provisions include:

A stronger rule of origin for certain regional textile products
Strong customs enforcement language
Assurance that a significant amount that the Department of Homeland Security spends annually on clothing and textiles is on domestically-produced products.

Based on information provided by the National Cotton Council