El sector algodonero en Ecuador: desafíos y oportunidades de la cadena de valor

Abstract

Cotton is one of the most used natural fi bers as raw material by the textile industry worldwide. In Latin America and the Caribbean, it has a historical importance as a dynamizer of local economies, Ecuador is not the exception. However, in Ecuador cotton production has decreased, domestic production does not supply the Ecuadorian textile industry. Imports of cotton are subject to a tariff reduction provided that the textile industry absorbs the annual harvest. Th e rationality of textile companies responds to the purchase of cotton at lower prices coming mostly from the US and their production processes seek to guarantee their competitiveness in the market. Local production comes from small non-associate farmers in Guayas and Manabí; however, the supply-demand is not direct between producers and the textile industry, one actor articulates the purchase of cotton and in turn selling fi ber of cotton. Th e cotton planted in Ecuador is non-transgenic, produced in dry season, with a better water footprint and therefore presents an opportunity to diff erentiate and add value to its production considering the requirements for the type of spinning, textile fabrics and its market positioning.