DEVELOPMENT OF THE COTTON INDUSTRY AND CHANGES IN THE PATTERN OF COTTON PRODUCTS TRADE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

The cotton industry spearheaded the industrial_ revolution not only in Britain but in almost all countries of the world, Ieading their industrialization, economic development and growth. Therefore, the history of the development of the modern cotton industry is, in a sense, the history of regional dispersion of this industry. The development of the cotton industry in Southeast Asia in recent years is no exception. The cotton industry has developed remarkably in Southeast Asia in recent years. Whereas Japan has been a cotton goods exporter since prewar years, India established her position as a cotton products exporter after the war. Today, Communist China. Hongkong, Pakistan. Taiwan, and the Republic of Korea are emerging as exporter countries on the world market. In bther Southeast Asian countries, too, the degree of self-sufiiciency in cotton goods has risen markedly. This thesis endeavours to review the recent development of the cotton industry in Southeast Asia, the changes in the demand-supply pattern in the various areas within this region and the ef~;ects which the development and changes in the demand-supply pattern are exerting on cotton goods trade.