Last season (2015/2016) total world cotton stock declined by 3 million tons. In the beginning of the current season (2016/2017), which started August 1, 2016, the opening stock of world cotton was around 19 million tons, about 80 percent of the world’s total annual mill use. Most of the world’s cotton stock (about 11 million tons) is held by the Chinese government.Worldwide production this season was 22.4 million tons, 1 million tons more than last season, according to estimates by t...