Cotton is a natural fiber derived from cotton plants whose use dates back to the fifth millennium B.C. Raw Cotton or the Lint is the raw fibre from the cotton plant which is pressed into bales at the cotton gin. It provides the basic raw material (cotton fibre) to cotton textile industry.

The major cotton producing countries are USA, China, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Brazil, Greece, Argentina and Egypt.

These countries contribute about 85% to the global cotton production. There are five types of cotton that are being grown commercially around the world. These types are Egyptian, Sea Island, American Pima, Asiatic and American Upland.