Wal-Mart Buys into Organic Cotton

"NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Monday that it purchased more than 12 million pounds of cotton from farmers who are changing over from conventional to organic farming, to help boost the supply of certified organic cotton in the marketplace.

"We heard from our supplier and other partners ... that this was necessary in the market," said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Tara Raddohl.

Wal-Mart has been increasing the number of organic products that it offers in its stores. But because of its size as the world's largest retailer, it needs a large and steady supply of these goods to stock its more than 4,100 U.S. stores.

When farmers commit to switching from producing conventional cotton to organic cotton, Raddohl said it can take roughly three years before the crops can be certified as organic."

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