BEIJING: China imported 84,500 tonnes of cotton in November, down 8.3 percent versus the same month last year, the China Cotton Association said on Wednesday. Imports of the fibre to China, the world's top textile manufacturer, have dropped 41 percent in the first 11 months of the year to 1.29 million tonnes, according to data on the association's website.

Lower Chinese cotton prices have made imports uncompetitive and fewer low-tariff import quotas from the government have limited foreign intake. Cotton demand has declined as well, say traders, pushing domestic futures prices to a new low of less than 11,500 yuan ($1,776.80) per tonne last week, despite a smaller domestic crop. Local traders estimate this year's crop at less than 5 million tonnes, compared with 6.5 million tonnes in 2014. (Source: Reuters)