FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Barbara Haumann, 413-376-1220; bhaumann@ota.com

Organic Trade Association research details organic cotton production

GREENFIELD, MASS. (Dec. 23, 2008)--U.S. acreage planted with organic cotton increased for second straight year, according to research compiled by the Organic Trade Association (OTA). Analysis of available data found that the total acres planted in organic cotton grew from 8,510 in 2007 to 9,279 in 2008, constituting a nine percent increase.

Harvest acreage figures for 2008 are not yet available. Other findings show 14,025 bales of organic cotton were harvested in 2007, representing a 73 percent increase over the previous year, when the total number of bales was 8,116. The U.S. organic cotton harvest represents about 2.1 percent of total global organic cotton production.