We wanted to make sure everyone was aware of the issues brought up at the Bale Packaging Committee meeting a couple weeks ago.

DSF

Specifications Changes Discussed, Bagging Tests Approved

During its 50th annual meeting in Memphis, the NCC’s Joint Cotton Industry Bale Packaging Committee (JCIBPC) affirmed its executive committee recommendations: 1) to remove all references to flat bales and modified flat bales from the 2017 edition of the cotton bale packaging specifications; 2) for NCC staff to report on the views of the raw cotton segment and packaging suppliers on the time that would reasonably be needed to make a transition away from the use of wire strapping; and 3) to require the inclusion of correct bag/tie codes on electronic warehouse receipts.

In addition, Committee Chairman Ben Evans reported that the JCIBPC’s executive committee agreed to forward to the NCC’s Permanent Bale Identification (PBI) Task Force a request by some JCIBPC members that would call for removing from the PBI tag specifications the requirement that “A” and “B” coupons be included on tags. Evans noted, though, that even if this request is accepted by the Task Force, gins and warehouses still would have the option of including these coupons on their bale tags. Among other issues the PBI Task Force will be addressing are those involving PBI tags’ physical integrity as well as the important need for matching a bale’s PBI tag with its USDA-AMS coupon.

During the executive session, four requests for continued testing were reviewed and approved. Approvals were granted for continued testing of two light-weight cotton bale bags, a compatibility test program for third party polyethylene terephthalate (PET) strap on patented z-weld friction technology® systems, and a fifth-year test program for a new category of woven PET bags (along with that bag’s automated bagging system).

Except for the two light-weight cotton bag test programs that were restricted to the Far West region for exported bales, “JCIBPC determinations” were granted for the other two test programs. In accordance with Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Cotton No. 2® rules on bands and bagging, an explicit determination from the JCIBPC is necessary for bales in experimental test programs to meet a key delivery requirement for bales being delivered against No. 2® cotton contracts. No bales in the first year of an approved JCIBPC test program are deemed deliverable against the contract.