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Need To Restore The Lost Glory Of Cotton, Says Textile Commissioner Kavita Gupta

Textile Commissioner Of India Kavita Gupta said recently that the time has come to restore the lost glory of Indian cotton.

Gupta was speaking at the valedictory function of the three day Asian Cotton Research and Development Network (ACRDN) meeting at Nagpur organised by the Indian Society for Cotton Improvement (ISCI) in collaboration with the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), the Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) and the Central Institute for Research in Cotton Technology (CIRCOT).

“The country doesn't merely need to increase its productivity and improve the quality of the cotton but also needs to double the income of its cotton farmers and non-farmers associated with the cotton industry by 2022. With the second technology mission on cotton in the offing all this seems possible,” she said.

The commissioner said that she saw a lot of hope in young scientists who have excellent ideas and believe in innovation. These scientists she said should ensure the traceability of cotton, evolve suitable bale tagging process, develop agro-climatic zone specific varieties and develop synergy between all various factors impacting cotton which will give the required momentum to the whole process. Cotton, she said, is a commodity which generates a lot of employment for farmers as well as the industry. “Cotton is here to stay,” she said.

Stressing on bringing cotton to premium quality, she said that India needs to brand its cotton. She expressed her concern over the declining quality of cotton. Contamination and adulteration were two major problems that need to be addressed immediately to bring cotton to international standards and be competitive.

Although India had the highest area (36%) under cotton and was the biggest cotton producer the productivity was almost half (25%) of that of the major cotton growing countries. The average productivity in India was 500-570 kg/lint per ha as compared to world average of 900 plus kg/ha. Australia with highest productivity has an average of about 2619/lint kg /ha. India exports one third of the produce. “In Punjab there are farmers who produce 2500 kg/ha. Why this can't be replicated elsewhere,” Gupta said.