<P> In 2012, production totaled 17.3 million bales, with 12.3 million acres planted . The average price was $0.71 per pound with a crop value of $5.97 billion . A report published in May 2012 by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service ranked the highest cotton - producing states as Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arizona, Missouri, Alabama, California, South Carolina, and Louisiana . </P> <P> The United States is the world's top exporter of cotton . Four out of the top five importers of U.S. - produced cotton are in North America; the principal destination is Honduras, with about 33% of the total, although this has been in decline slightly over recent years . The next most important importer is Mexico, with about 18%, a figure which has been broadly stable, and then the Dominican Republic, although exports have declined as a proportion of the total in recent years . China imported about 11% of U.S. cotton last year, which was a sharp increase over previous seasons, allowing it to overtake El Salvador, which has consistently imported about 8 - 9% of the total . Cotton exports to China grew from a value of $46 million in 2000 to more than $2 billion in 2010 . In Japan, especially Texas cotton is very highly regarded as its strong fibers lend themselves perfectly to low tension weaving . </P> <P> Texas produces more cotton than any other state in the United States . With eight production regions around Texas, and only four geographic regions, it is the state's leading cash crop . Texas produces approximately 25% of the country's cotton crop on more than 6 million acres, the equivalent of over 9,000 square miles (23,000 km) of cotton fields . Texas Cotton Producers includes nine certified cotton grower organizations; it addresses national and statewide cotton grower issues, such as the national farm bill and environmental legislation . </P> <P> California's cotton is mostly grown in seven counties within the San Joaquin Valley, though Imperial Valley and Palo Verde Valley also have acres planted . In the 1990s cotton was also planted in the Sacramento Valley . California is the largest producer of Pima cotton in the United States . The California cotton industry provides more than 20,000 jobs in the state and generates revenues in excess of $3.5 billion annually . </P>

How did cotton production contribute to divisions in the united states leading up to the civil war