April 3 (Bloomberg) -- Cotton rose for a second day on speculation that China, the worldΆs top consumer, will continue to build domestic inventories, tightening global supplies.

Since Aug. 1, China bought 6.5 million metric tons of cotton for government reserves, according to the industry website cncotton.com.cn. Prices have climbed 19 percent this year on signs of increasing demand and an expected drop in global production.

“Chinese stockpiling is keeping a bid underneath,” Sterling Smith, a futures specialist at Citigroup Inc. in Chicago, said in an e-mail.

Cotton for May delivery increased 0.4 percent to settle at 89.22 cents a pound at 2:35 p.m. on ICE Futures U.S. in New York. The fiber rose 1.7 percent yesterday.