New Delhi. The domestic demand for cotton is expected to decline marginally to 250 lakh bales in the 2011-12 cotton season due to slowdown in the global and domestic markets, Parliament was informed.

The demand for the natural fibre stood at 253 lakh bales (one bale equal to 170 kg) during the 2010-11 cotton season (October – September), Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat said in written reply to the Lok Sabha.”As per assessment of Cotton Advisory Board (CAB), total demand of cotton for 2011-12 is estimated to be marginally lower at 250 lakh bales as compared to the demand for 253 lakh bales for the previous year,” Rawat said.

The lower estimation of demand is due to slowdown in the domestic as well as international market, he added.

“The demand for cotton is moderate and buying is slow in the domestic market. Lower textile shipment to the US and Europe have forced domestic textile industry to cut down production by around 10 per cent,” the minister said.