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According to Organic Exchange (OE), the demand for, and supply of, organic cotton grew dra- matically in 2008, indicat- ing strong interest from the global retail markets and interest from formers in growing cotton organically. OE's October 2008 report, Organic Cotton Farm and Fiber Report 2008, shows that the amount of organic cotton grown worldwide in 2007/08 increased to 145,872 metric tons (MT), or 668,581 bales, a 152 percent increase from 2006/07. Organic cotton now represents 0.55 percent of total global cotton production, a staggering increase considering the relative infancy of the industry.
Organic Market Growth
Some of the world's largest companies are now committed to organic cotton, including Walmart, Nike and C&A. In fact, the incorporation of organic fiber into product lines has become the norm, rather than the exception. Demand particularly in the North American and European markets has driven this trend and will...