AmeriBangla Corporation on Thursday officially launched "CottonPort," Bangladesh’s first digital raw cotton market, aimed at connecting local spinning mills directly with American farmers to ensure fair pricing, supply chain transparency, and stronger bilateral trade ties.
Entrepreneurs expect that such an initiative will boost exports of Bangladesh's clothing products with tax weaver in American market.
The platform was unveiled by AmeriBangla Corporation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Aswar Rahman during an exclusive event held at The Westin Dhaka, marking the culmination of two years of development.
CottonPort went live with an initial offering of 82 tonnes of high-quality raw cotton sourced directly from the US state of Virginia.
Speaking at the launch, Aswar Rahman described the platform as a "merchant barrier-free " platform designed to dismantle historical market monopolies and return negotiating leverage to Bangladeshi buyers.
He noted that local spinning mills have long operated in a captive market with limited pricing power during industry downturns.
Aswar further revealed that more than 30 spinning mill owners have already expressed their intention to purchase US cotton directly through the platform. "By purchasing directly from American farmers, a strong bond and bilateral relationship will be built between Bangladeshi manufacturers and the US market, paving the way for massive growth in Bangladeshi exports to the US over the next few years," he said.
The event was attended by prominent industry leaders and dignitaries, including Yousuf Bin Razzaque, proprietor of Prime Trading Corporation; Khurshid Alam Rimon, head of Marketing at Divine Textile; Brig Gen (retd) Engr Ali Ahmed Khan, former director general of FSCD; Md Golam Kibria, former country chief executive of Bureau Veritas RP; and Afsana Rahman, managing director of International Cotton (InterCot).
The 24/7 digital marketplace exclusively trades US-grown cotton directly from farmers.
During its initial trial phase in 2026, CottonPort will handle up to 10 containers per month, with plans to scale operations up to 1,600 containers monthly by 2028.
AmeriBangla Corporation aims to expand bilateral trade between Bangladesh and the United States from the current estimate of nearly $10 billion to $100 billion by 2045 through commodity exports, machinery trade, and capital partnerships.