| |
India : Asia ‘ups’ world fibre consumption |
|
2004-8-19
|
 |
Asia is fast emerging as major source of exports, especially of textiles, to the USA, EC and other countries of the world, while it is also turning out to be an important consumer because of consistent growth in incomes and population that drives demand.
Already, China, India and other developing countries in the Asian region are large producers of cotton textiles.
The average GDP growth in Asia, excluding Japan, registered at 6 percent during 2003-04, which is twice more than the rate of US growth. With domestic prices for services and other non-tradable goods low, urban consumers in Asia have spending power much higher than that implied by national level per capita GDP estimates, the Economic Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) observed in a recent report.
Citing fibre consumption at a mere five kg per capita in developing Asia in 2000, the consumption growth potential in Asia may be gauged from the fact that, it is 21 kg/per capita in developed countries, and 33 kg in North America.
Between 2000 and 2004, while world fibre consumption increased by 25 million bales (480 pounds per bale), the largest gain was in developing Asian countries where household consumption increased by over 8 million bales, followed by Western Europe (4.9 million bales) and North America (4.5 million bales).
At the same time, share of cotton in global fibre consumption fell marginally from 40 percent to 39 percent, which contrasts with the steep fall seen during the decade of the 1990s from 50 per cent in 1990.
Between 2000 and 2004, most of the world''s increase in household cotton consumption occurred in the developing world. It is inferred from data for total fibres that Asian markets accounted for as much as 60 per cent of developing world gains.
The report states that anecdotal evidence supports the assumption that developing Asia''s cotton consumption grew by more than 3 million bales of the 5.3 million bales growth seen in developing nations worldwide.
Observing a discernible shift in Asia''s role in the world economy from global exporter to global importer is probably not yet foreseeable, its impact on consumption cannot be ignored, the reported noted. World fibre consumption has grown at a 3.1 per cent rate over the last five years, slightly faster than the 2.6 per cent growth rate realised during 1980-2004. |
|
|
|
|
|
浙公網安33010602010414
