In 2015-16, Bangladesh imported 6.2 million cotton bales during the year thereby reinforcing its position as the world's largest importer of cotton. According to US department of agriculture (USDA), Bangladesh's imports are expected to increase to 6.3 million bales in 2016-17. This raises Bangladesh's share of global imports to over 18 per cent, which is more than double its share seen 5 years before.

Bangladesh’s rising cotton imports impacts various cotton exporters, especially West African origins such as Benin and Burkina Faso, and Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan. In fact, demand in Bangladesh for cotton of Uzbek origin has proven to be substantially stronger than was previously believed, resulting in a substantial upward revision to the 2015-16 Uzbek export estimate, according to USDA.