The World Cotton was celebrated on 7th October, whereby the Union Minister of Textiles, Giriraj Singh was part of the celebration. The Ministry of Textiles jointly hosted the conference with Confederation of Indian Textile Industries (CITI) and Cotton Corporation of India focusing on the theme of “Megatrends Shaping Cotton Textile Value Chain,” informed Ministry of Textiles, PIB.
Addressing the congregation on August, Giriraj Singh emphasised on the commitment of the government to achieve the target of USD 350 billion by 2030 including export target of USD 100 billion. He underscored that the goal could be achieved with the joined efforts of all stakeholders in the cotton industry. He emphasised on the need to adopt the best farming practice like “high density planting, closer spacing, drip fertigation etc.,” which can increase the yield to even 1500 Kgs per hectares as against the present national average yield of about 450 kgs.
The Minister further expressed concerns over the issue of weed management which ineffectively increases the cost of labor and timely management over the weeds. He emphasised on the need to develop new seed varieties and examine the suitability of this new seed technology available in the world like HT BT for adoption in our country.
Textiles Secretary, Rachna Shah, also addressed the congregation at the conference and brought to light the role of the cotton economy. She states, it provides “livelihood to six million cotton farmers directly and another employment to 45 million people engaged directly or indirectly in various other activities in the cotton value chain. She mentioned about the share of cotton fibre to the total fibre in the country at about 60%, where the same is at 23% in the world.” She also urged the cotton value chain stakeholders to provide emphasis on increasing yield and production through collaboration and productivity as India currently ranks at 35th.
Shubha Thakur, Additional Secretary, MoA&FW and Prajakta Verma Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles also focused on similar issues and addressed the cotton stakeholders to form collaborative approach through the Textile Advisory Group (TAG) where the challenges of Textile Industry are addressed through participative approach. They also highlighted inter-ministerial coordination in launching initiative of holistic plan to increase cotton production and yield which enable the farmers to increase their income.
The Union Minister of Textiles along with the dignitaries of the event visited to various exhibitor stalls who showcased Kasturi cotton products, recycled textiles, products of scrap fabrics, Handloom products etc. “The one day conference in commemoration of World Cotton Day 2024, highlighted best practices and sustainable farming methods, traceability, ESG data points for connecting farm to fashion, targeting technology like HDPS, spanning from Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign. Brainstorming sessions addressed crucial topics, including Enhancing Sustainability & Traceability, Decent work in cotton supply chain, Evolving Trends in Cotton Farming and Cotton Trading and Risk Management for Enhancing Quality & Productivity of Cotton,” stated the Ministry.
During inaugural session Rohit Kansal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Textile highlighted that the country has set a target of creating Textile Ecosystem of USD 350 bn by 2030 from current USD 176 bn. Further, Lalit Kumar Gupta, CMD CCI highlighted the important role being played by CCI as central nodal agency in empowering cotton farmers by use of technology and provides an alternate market channel for selling their produce, the Ministry informed.
