Cotton fell for the fifth time in six sessions after an index of manufacturing declined in China, the world’s largest buyer.

The Purchasing Managers’ Index fell to 52.9 in April from 53.4 in March, China’s logistics federation and the statistics bureau said yesterday. The country’s central bank has raised interest rates four times since October to curb inflation. Imports by the Asian country plummeted 15 percent in March from a year earlier.

“This indicates that textile manufacturing is slowing down in China, and demand for cotton continues to remain weak,” said Andy Ryan, a senior risk-management consultant at FCStone Fibers & Textiles in Nashville, Tennessee.

Cotton for July delivery dropped 2.9 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $1.5512 a pound at 10:47 a.m. on ICE Futures U.S. in New York. The fiber plunged 21 percent last month, the most since October 2008.