New Denim Plant Good News for Louisiana Cotton Producers

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held earlier this week in Concordia Parish for the Vidalia Denim Plant, a $50 million project that will use Louisiana and Mississippi cotton to make denim yarn.

Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain says the plant will be located in an old Fruit of the Loom factory and bring some 300 jobs with annual salaries of over $30,000 per job.

"The project was developed between the local economic development office in Vidalia, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and private bankers," said Strain.

The Vidalia Denim Plant is expected to use over 60,000 bales of cotton "which could be up to one-third of the state's output.  Combine that with the facility in Lacassine we could be using up to one-half of Louisiana's entire cotton crop," Strain went on to say.