History of Cotton
The earliest cultivation of cotton discovered thus far in the Americas occurred in Mexico, some 5,000 years ago. The indigenous species was Gossypium hirsutum which is today the most widely planted species of cotton in the world, constituting about 90% of all production worldwide. The greatest diversity of wild cotton species is found in Mexico, followed by Australia and Africa.
In Peru, cultivation of the indigenous cotton species Gossypium barbadense was the backbone of the development of coastal cultures such as the Norte Chico, Moche and Nazca. Cotton was grown upriver, made into nets and traded with fishing villages along the coast for large supplies of fish. The Spanish who came to Mexico in the early 1500s found the people growing cotton and wearing clothing made of it. During the late medieval period, cotton became known as an imported fibre in northern Europe, without any knowledge of how it was derived, other than that it was a plant; noting its similarities to wool, people in the region could only imagine that cotton must be produced by plant-borne sheep.
Leading cotton-producing countries
| Top ten cotton producers — 2007 | million 480-pound bales |
|---|---|
| People's Republic of China | 35.8 |
| India | 25.3 |
| United States | 19.2 |
| Pakistan | 9.0 |
| Brazil | 7.2 |
| Uzbekistan | 5.5 |
| Turkey | 3.2 |
| Greece | 1.4 |
| Turkmenistab | 1.3 |
| Syria | 1.2 |
The five leading exporters of cotton are
- United States
- Uzbekistan
- India
- Brazil
- Burkina Faso
The largest non-producing importers are Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, and Taiwan.
In India, the states of Maharashtra (26.63%), Gujarat (17.96%) and Andhra Pradesh (13.75%) are the leading cotton producing states. These states have a predominantly tropical wet and dry climate.
In the United States, the state of Texas leads in total production, while the state of California has the highest yield per acre in the world
