Cotton
 Sea island cotton is produced in the West Indies for export as raw cotton (Table 5. 1.
iii). Cotton waste and stained cotton are retained for non-textile use in the domestic
market normally about 5 to 10 percent of production. The decline in production in the
last 20 years is expected to continue through the 1975/76 crop year (Table 14f). Produc-
tion is expected to continue to be exported through 1975.

 Considerable import demand exists for textiles in the West Indies, mainly for piece
goods. The United Kingdom presently supplies more than 80 percent of the area's piece
goods requirements. As an example of import demand, textile imports by Jamaica
average 3.7 million pounds for the period 1955-59 compared with 0.1 million pounds of
clothing for the same period, but in raw cotton equivalent. Such imports increased to
6.5 million pounds and 0.9 million pounds respectively for the period 1960-62. Jamaican
exports of cotton textiles in raw cotton equivalent decreased from 0.8 million pounds of
raw cotton equivalent in 1955-59 to 0.4 million pounds in 1960-62. On the other hand,
comparable exports of clothing in raw cotton equivalent for this period increased from
less than 0.1 million pounds to 2.5 million pounds. This illustrates the practice of import-
ing piece goods for the manufacture of clothing for export. Similar trends have developed
in other West Indian areas, primarily in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.

 Raw cotton imports for the area as a whole increased from 1.0 million pounds in 1950-
54 to 5.0 million pounds in 1960, with projections of 6.0 million pounds for 1975 (Table
5. 1.iii). Such imports, together with waste from domestic cotton production, represent
internal consumption levels of raw cotton. Total cotton consumption estimates, taking
into account textile and clothing imports and exports, are not possible since even rough
estimates of the cotton textile and clothing trade for the area as a whole are lacking.


 Table 5. 1. iii

 Production, imports, exports, and consumption of
 raw cotton in the West Indies in selected years

 Year ro Imports Exports Consumption
 tion 1l
 1,000 pounds

1!)50-54 (average) 1,869 986 1,700 1,155
1955-59 (average) 2,040 3,459 1,900 3,599
 1960 898 4,996 800 5,094
 1965 989 4,140 900 4,229
 1970 739 4,956 700 4,995
 1975 734 5,932 700 5,966

 I/ Cotton production is shown by calendar year but is actually for split years; the
year shown is the second year of the split year combinations. For example, 1960 produc-
tion shown is actually the 1959/60 harvest.