‘Technology should drive cotton productivity’, says CITI

Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI)

has stated that given the importance of cotton for the textiles sector of the country, it is important to use technology as a tool for increasing cotton productivity. In a statement, S V Arumugam, Chairman, CITI said that area under cotton in the country is stagnating between 11 and 12 million hectares and cotton production during the current year is expected to decline to 33.4 million bales from 35.3 million bales last year. Improving productivity is the only way to ensure that the increasing cotton requirements of the industry are met. He observed that cotton accounts for over 60 per cent of fibre consumption in the country and over 80 per cent of fibre consumption in export production.

Explaining cotton productivity in the country, Arumugam said, “From about 200 kg per hectare in 1980s productivity reached 300 kg per hectare in 1990s. A combination of agricultural extension activities under government’s Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC) and introduction of BT technology during the beginning of 21st century has helped to achieve sustainable productivity of around 500 kg per hectare. Currently about 90 per cent of the area under cotton in the country uses BT seeds and the BT seeds have contributed substantially to improvement and sustainability of productivity in the country.”

Arumugam requested the government to focus on using technology for improving cotton productivity. He also stressed the need for providing formal bank credit at affordable cost to the farmers in order to tackle distress among cotton farmers and enable them to adopt modern technology for improving productivity and increasing their income from cotton farming.