PRESS RELEASE – FORUM 2026
Dear Members,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you to all of you who have travelled, often from far afield, to take part in our cotton industry meeting in Lille. This wonderful occasion, which brought together all producers and all cotton-growing regions, saw the entire sector – comprising those involved directly or indirectly in the raw cotton trade – come together.
The French Cotton Association (AFCOT), which celebrated its 136th anniversary this year, met in Lille on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 October 2026.
Over 300 people from five continents took part in our event.
For half a century, the AFCOT Forum has brought together all the key players in the international cotton sector every year. It is one of the leading international cotton events. Traders, producers, exporters, inspectors, freight forwarders, as well as banks, shipping lines, insurance companies, trade associations, public bodies and research institutes: everyone contributes to showcasing the various facets of the cotton sector, its professions, its developments and its prospects. For two days, all eyes were on the AFCOT forum.
Participants gathered on Monday 5 October for a welcome cocktail reception at the Mesa de Lille in glorious sunshine.
Tuesday 6 October began with a seminar organised by the French Cotton Association and the African Cotton Association.
The discussions were chaired by the President of AFCOT, Mr Thierry DEVILDER, and the President of ACA, Mr Kassoum KONE.
Ms Antonia PRESCOTT, Director of COTTON OUTLOOK; Mr Julien BOUCHER, co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of EA – Earth Action; and Mr Jean-François LAMBERT, founder and managing partner of Lambert Commodities, a consultancy firm specialising in commodities trading and structured finance, serving producers, traders, banks and investors. They took turns addressing topics at the heart of the cotton industry’s concerns.
To view their presentations and all the photos from the various moments of these days, please visit the AFCOT website under the ‘Our Events’ section, then ‘Lille Forum 2026’.
All participants were then invited to a convivial lunch.
The participants gathered for an early evening cocktail reception in the committee room, followed by a gala dinner in the main hall of the Lille Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI).
In his speech, the AFCOT President highlighted the key events of this cotton-growing year as well as those of our association. His speech is also available online on our website.
The President, the Executive Committee and the General Secretariat of AFCOT would like to thank the three speakers, as well as everyone who honoured us with their presence.
Speach of Mr Thierry DEVILDER
President of AFCOT
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear friends,
Please allow me to interrupt your conversations for a moment to welcome those whom I have not yet had the pleasure of greeting, on the occasion of this 136th dinner which brings our 2026 Forum to a close.
I would first like to extend my warmest thanks to my friends on the Executive Committee for the trust they have placed in me by entrusting me with the organisation of this AFCOT/ACA Forum in Lille.. This is the third time in our history that it has been held here in Lille.
Indeed, Lille, the capital of Flanders, has always been a major centre of industry and commerce.
It is a city where the word ‘textile’ remains very much a part of the present day through its well-known retail chains, and still evokes in our memories a glorious past that is not so distant. This magnificent Palais de la Bourse, which welcomes us this evening and was built at the start of the 20th century, stands as a majestic testament to this. It symbolises the economic power of a region whose prosperity rested largely on the wool, linen and, of course, cotton industries. Within these very walls, traders, brokers and spinners concluded countless transactions.
At that time, it was necessary to supply the many factories in Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing and Armentières. Illustrious names such as Boussac Saint-Frère, Le Blan, Wallaert, DMC, Dufour, or even Coisne and Lambert are sure to evoke fond memories for the older members amongst us.
Being here tonight therefore takes on its full meaning.
This stopover in Lille also feels like a genuine invitation to travel. A journey that could not exist without the excellence of the land and the people who shape cotton production, particularly on the African continent. If you close your eyes, you can almost feel the warm breeze of the savannahs stretching from north to south, linking the fertile plains of Koutiala in Mali to the bountiful lands of Alibori in Benin. Our journey then takes us along the tracks of Korhogo in Côte d’Ivoire, before climbing the hills of the Kara in Togo, crossing the wide open spaces of Bobo Dioulasso in Burkina Faso, and stopping off in Tambacounda in eastern Senegal, without ever forgetting the horizons of Mayo-Kebbi in Chad and the Benoue in northern Cameroon.
So, for this unique fibre that weaves our bonds across the oceans, for the sweet taste of this reunion and for this intensely vibrant moment, I would like to offer you my heartfelt thanks.
Thank you to all of you, my cotton friends, for being here this evening.
It is particularly close to my heart to welcome here our many friends, the cotton-ginners who are members of the ACA, and I would like to extend a very warm welcome to its President and friend, Mr Kassoum Koné, as well as to all my counterparts from our sister cotton associations.
Finally, my thanks go to our three brilliant speakers this morning: Ms Antonia Prescott, Mr Julien Boucher and Mr Jean-François Lambert, for the depth of their contributions.
Our professions require us to anticipate future trends and crises as best we can; their insights are invaluable to us.
This evening, there are nearly 300 of us here, from nearly forty countries and representing every continent. In a world all too often marked by divisions and uncertainties, it is deeply heartening and inspiring to see our cultures, languages and traditions, in all their diversity, brought together around the cotton fibre.
Your commitment testifies to the vitality of our sector as well as to your deep attachment to our association. As we embark on a new campaign, your loyalty helps to make this Forum a unique event, combining professional rigour with a friendly atmosphere.
As is traditional, it falls to the AFCOT President to provide an overview of the cotton market for the past year and to outline the prospects for the future. It is a demanding and always risky task, as we know only too well how cotton loves to spring surprises on us…
Proof of this is that, at the end of September 2025, when we met again in Deauville, the mood was rather gloomy. The December 25 ICE contract was languishing at an all-time low of around 58 USc/lb, marking the end of a disastrous 2025 – a year devoid of highlights, volatility and any real short-term hope. Hedge funds, which had been short the market for two years, had little reason to change a strategy that was proving profitable for them. With the outlook for 2026 hardly encouraging, only a global reduction in cultivated acreage offered any hope of a hypothetical recovery in prices.
Then, at the start of 2026, geopolitical tensions around the Strait of Hormuz became more pressing, with the situation fluctuating wildly until the strikes on 28 February 2026 were launched.
This signalled a massive wave of buying by investment funds, triggering a powerful inflationary trend in the commodities markets, driven upwards by the prices of oil and gas. Cotton was one of the major beneficiaries, regaining a degree of competitiveness against polyester. The resulting rise was steady and relentless.
For example, the ICE December 2026 contract rose from 69.50 USc/lb to 86.55 USc/lb, marking a steady increase of 25 per cent in the space of just ten weeks, without any major change in the key global physical balances. This came as a real shock to the global spinning industry.
Following some profit-taking in the spring of 2026, prices surged once more to approach 94 US cents per pound, driven by a weaker dollar, downward revisions to the 2026 harvest forecasts and resilient global consumption despite international turmoil.
As we do not have a crystal ball, it remains difficult to predict what prices will be for the coming season, or to anticipate the uncertainties that global geopolitics will bring.
The only certainties to date are: a global climate disrupted by a powerful El Niño, persistent inflation, global debt at record levels and now high interest rates – all against a backdrop of global geopolitical tension… At present, the market seems to be pointing towards a slight decline in prices for 2027.
However, many of you have learnt from past experience by securing substantial volumes for 2026/27, which strikes me as a wise decision in the current climate.
As producers, you have a fundamental need for sustained prices and stable outlooks. At our level, our modest contribution to boosting global consumption must be to rally together, as a cotton-growing community, to better defend and promote cotton’s environmental footprint. This is a battle we must fight through our associations, our businesses and our advocacy work, just as we will continue to do in Brussels by giving our full financial support to the ‘Make the Label Count’ initiative.
Let us make the most of these more favourable market conditions, but let us bear in mind the lessons of our history: cotton priced below 70 USc/lb remains too cheap to provide the sector with a decent income; but cotton approaching 100 USc/lb rarely stays at such high levels for very long.
I would like to conclude by mentioning AFCOT. Our association has been in existence for 136 years. Throughout its history, it has demonstrated a genuine ability to adapt to changes in international trade, overcoming the gradual decline of the European spinning industry and the reshuffling of its membership. Today, it thrives and flourishes thanks to your loyalty, the energy of a dynamic Executive Committee made up of demanding professionals who are deeply passionate about their trade, and the passionate dedication of our Secretary-General.
Admittedly, our relations with trading partners must be based on transparent,healthy competition and open markets, but they must always be conducted in strict accordance with the principles of fairness and reciprocity. In this regard, the introduction of our Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct has provided genuine protection by safeguarding the integrity of our members. Whilst the RGE/AFCOT label provides essential security for transactions, it is above all the relationship of mutual trust that is our strength. We must preserve it at all costs, as it is the guarantee of our reliability and our longevity.
The strength of our sector lies in the energy and commitment of all those who bring it to life.
From seed to fabric, cotton remains a unique, natural and renewable fibre, at the heart of the sustainability issues that now guide the entire textile industry. It is together, through dialogue, cooperation and innovation, that we will be able to meet the challenges of tomorrow. More than ever, AFCOT and its members stand alongside African producers to support them and champion the appeal of their cotton.
Finally, on a more personal note, after more than twenty years on the AFCOT Executive Committee, I shall be stepping down as President at the end of my third term in spring 2027, not without a certain sense of emotion.
It has been a pleasure and an immense honour to serve our industry. Ours is a wonderful profession, punctuated by travel and encounters in the service of a noble craft which has the merit of introducing us to a wealth of different trades, enabling us to forge genuine friendships over time.
The story continues, and we shall meet again in Deauville on 27 and 28 September 2027, this time under the chairmanship of Frédéric Viel. I wish him, from the outset, an active, inspiring and creative term of office, in the spirit of continuity and unity that characterise our Committee.
I would like to thank you all very warmly for your attention. I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you again at the end of this dinner over a drink, to prove to you – if proof were needed – that the people of the North do indeed carry in their hearts the sunshine they lack outside.
I wish you all a wonderful end to the evening
AFCOT 2026 Forum in Lille
ACA – AFCOT Seminars
Tuesday 6th October 2026
To view the speakers’ presentations, click below.
Discover photos from the 2026 edition:
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