Goyal meets textile advisory group to review initiatives for cotton value chain

January 14, 2023 written by

Commerce minister Piyush Goyal held third interactive meeting with the Textile Advisory Group (TAG) on 7 November to review progress of initiatives for cotton value chain.

Goyal reviewed the actions initiated subsequent to the last interactive meeting held at New Delhi. A holistic plan for increasing cotton productivity was presented by ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research – (CICR), Nagpur for bringing improvement in cotton productivity through farmer awareness program, HDPS and global best farm practices.

The minister stressed that this is the time for branding Indian cotton and a pull for the Kasturi branded products from consumers and is a welcome step towards Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Goyal said the industry should be on the forefront and work on the principle of self regulation by owning the responsibility of branding and certifying Indian premium cotton Kasturi.

Further, Goyal pointed out that quality of Indian cotton fibre is paramount, therefore implementation of cotton bales quality control order under BIS act 2016 is a must for standardization of cotton bales in terms of technical quality parameters and identification of cotton bale traceability for the benefit of all stakeholders.

The minister appreciated the action taken by Industry and its nominated body to work on quality, traceability and branding of Kasturi Cotton. Government shall be supporting the initiative with funds matching to Industry Contribution.

Goyal emphasized strengthening testing facility needed to conform to Kasturi standards, DNA testing and traceability. He assured that adequate modern testing facilities would be created through BIS and TRAs.

He also stressed the need to introduce advanced technologies related to high yielding cotton seeds and innovative agronomy such as High Density Planting System to enhance productivity of cotton. On mechanization of picking by use of hand held kapasplucker machines, developed by SIMA-CDRA, which would support the farmer producer, Goyal urged that textile Industry and Industry Associations should join hands to promote and popularize mechanization.

The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) will take up this project in mission mode with distribution support from Cotton Corporation of India Ltd. Industry Associations and Industry leaders together agreed to fund 75,000 hand held kapasplucker machines. Additionally, FPOs may be actively involved to empower cotton farmers.

The industry and textile value chain stakeholders expressed their sincere gratitude for the prompt and pragmatic approach of the Minister to address their issues through consultative mode.

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