China Nov cotton imports up 199.6pc on year

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BEIJING, Dec 13 (Reuters): China, the world's top cotton consumer, imported 378,200 tonnes of the fibre in November, a rise of 199.6 per cent from a year earlier, according to customs data cited by an industry website (www.cncotton.com). The November figure brings the country's total imports in the first 11 months to 2.57 million tonnes, up 8.4 per cent year on year, the data showed. China increased imports after global cotton prices fell sharply from record high levels early in the year. New York cotton futures finished at a 16-month low on Monday on expectation of lower global demand amid recession fears.