Bangladesh spinning mills gain direct access to American cotton through CottonPort

CottonPort, Bangladesh’s first digital raw cotton marketplace, has launched with an initial offering of 82 tonnes of United States (US)-grown cotton aimed at giving local spinning mills direct access to American farmers.

AmeriBangla Corporation launched the platform Thursday in Dhaka. CottonPort chief executive officer Aswar Rahman said the 24-hour marketplace is designed to reduce intermediaries and improve buyers’ negotiating power.

More than 30 spinning mill owners have expressed interest, Rahman said.

“By purchasing directly from American farmers, a strong bond and bilateral relationship would be built between Bangladeshi manufacturers and the US market,” he said.

CottonPort plans to handle up to 10 containers a month on a trial basis in 2026, before targeting as many as 1,600 containers monthly by 2028. Bangladesh imported 7.82 million bales of cotton in 2025.