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India marks World Cotton Day with push for sustainability & innovation

08 Oct '25
7 min read
 India marks World Cotton Day with push for sustainability & innovation
Indian Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita. Pic: CITI

Insights

  • The 4th Global Cotton Conference, held in New Delhi on World Cotton Day 2025, focused on 'Cotton 2040: Technology, Climate & Competitiveness'.
  • Leaders emphasised innovation, sustainability, and quality to strengthen India's cotton sector.
  • Several MoUs were signed under the Kasturi Cotton initiative to boost productivity, traceability, and global competitiveness.

The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), the Union Textiles Ministry, and the Cotton Corporation of India organised the 4th Global Cotton Conference in New Delhi on October 7 to celebrate World Cotton Day 2025. The theme of the Conference was ‘Cotton 2040: Technology, Climate & Competitiveness’.

The Conference – supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Coton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL), and CITI-CDRA – was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita. Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh delivered the Keynote Address at the event.

The program – which had Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) as Knowledge Partner – saw speakers highlight how India India’s cotton sector could be strengthened and made more resilient and globally competitive. The speakers pointed out that innovation, sustainability, better farm practices, and a greater focus on quality and traceability were the need of the hour as India aims to create a $250 billion domestic textile and apparel industry and, also, achieve textile and apparel exports of $100 billion by 2030.

Across the various sessions, panellists stressed on an ecosystem approach that would ensure a win-win for farmers, industry, and consumers. Speakers felt that more effectively leveraging technology, addressing structural challenges, and R&D could catalyse the growth of India’s cotton textile sector by also making it resilient to the challenges posed by climate change.

In his address, Giriraj Singh said that given the global focus on sustainability, cotton – as a sustainable fibre – had a great future ahead, despite the current interest worldwide in synthetic fibre. The Union Textiles Minister said that the branding of Kasturi Cotton could be strengthened through bodies like CITI and TEXPROCIL also playing an active role in this process.

The Union Textiles Minister said he was aiming to promote linen, milkweed and Ramie fibre given their potential for high growth. He added that the textile ecosystem should play its part in addressing climate change.

The Union Textiles Minister also said that the increase in minimum support prices (MSP) over the last decade has demonstrated the government’s commitment to the cause of farmer welfare. Industry should work more closely with farmers, he pointed out. He added that stakeholders should aim higher on the cotton production and productivity fronts.

In his address, Margherita said India must strive to attain leadership position in quality, sustainability, and ethical production. The Kasturi Cotton initiative has the potential to contribute immensely to the ‘5F’ (farm-fibre-factory-fashion-foreign) vision of the Government, he pointed out. He added that India and Russia could forge deeper ties in the textiles and apparel arena.

Union Textiles secretary Neelam Shami Rao said the Ministry is working towards increasing cotton production by 50 per cent over the next few years, including expanding the capacity of Kasturi Cotton Bharat. Reducing contamination in the cotton sector, bringing in better farm practices in India and improving the productivity of the cotton sector were also being worked on, the Secretary added.

Union Textiles Ministry joint secretary Padmini Singla said cotton is more than just a crop. It is a symbol of India’s legacy and self-reliance. She added that Kasturi Cotton Bharat would provide huge impetus to the growth of the textile sector.

Cotton Corporation of India CMD Lalit Kumar Gupta stressed on the need for improving the yield of the Indian cotton sector. He added that there was a need to accord more focus on innovation, improved farm practices, and the use of technology.

Textile commissioner Dr M Beena also reiterated that a focus on technology and innovation is the need of the hour.

CITI chairman Ashwin Chandran said India has the potential to dominate the global cotton economy. TEXPROCIL vice chairman Ravi Sam said cotton remains a pillar of India's textile sector. He said that 63 per cent of India's apparel exports are cotton-based.

Federation of Seed Industry of India vice chairman Dr Rajvir Singh Rathi highlighted the role of the seeds ecosystem in the development of India's textile sector. Cotton Analytics global consultant Dr Terry Townsend underlined the importance of the cotton sector in the global economy and how greater use of technology could mitigate the impact of climate change.

ILO regional specialist (FPRW) Insaf Nizam talked of the need for a multistakeholder approach to benefit the cotton ecosystem in India.

Two interesting highlights of the Conference was the release of a White Paper on Cotton titled ‘Cotton 2040: Shaping the Future Through Technology, Climate Resilience and Global Competitiveness’ jointly developed by CITI and the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture. And a slew of MoUs signed by TEXPROCIL related to Kasturi Cotton.

The details of the MoUs related to Kasturi Cotton are as follows.

Commercial MoUs

1. Texprocil – Nitin Spinners Ltd, Bhilwara: Aims to secure the procurement of 10,000 bales of Kasturi Cotton by Nitin Spinners.

2. Texprocil – Arvind Ltd, Ahmedabad: Aims to secure the procurement of 10,000 bales of Kasturi Cotton by Arvind.

3. Texprocil – RSR International, Ludhiana: Aims to secure the manufacturing and supply of 50,000 Garments made of Kasturi Cotton to Domestic and International Brands.

Community MoUs

1. Texprocil – All India Cotton FPO Association (AIFCA), Mumbai: Aims to strengthen low-carbon, sustainable cotton agronomy by addressing critical challenges such as crop residue burning and chemical-intensive farming, while enabling farmer collectives (FPOs) to produce Kasturi-compliant, high-value cotton that meets both environmental and market expectations.

2. Texprocil – Beetle Regen Solutions, Gurgaon: Aims to the supply of 5000 bales of Regenerative + Kasturi Cotton per season (exact number to be agreed upon later depending on the demand) meeting defined quality and traceability standards.

3. Texprocil – Hohenstein India Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai: Aims to support the Kasturi Cotton initiative by providing discounted testing and certification services, promoting the brand through co-branding and participation in domestic and international events, sharing technical knowledge on quality and sustainability, and offering complimentary advertising to enhance global visibility and market reach.

4. Texprocil – ICAR-CIRCOT, Mumbai: Aims to strengthen the Kasturi Cotton Bharat initiative through the development of cost-effective and locally adaptable tracer technologies to enhance physical traceability of Indian cotton, complementing ongoing digital initiatives.

Council MoUs

1. Texprocil – The Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC), Noida: Aims to promote the usage of Kasturi Cotton for manufacturing and exporting garments made of Kasturi Cotton by the members of NAEC.

CITI deputy chairman Dinesh Nolkha delivered the Vote of Thanks at the event.

Cotton is one of the most important commercial crops cultivated in India, lies at the heart of the country’s textile ecosystem, and is a source of livelihood for millions of farmers and those engaged in related activities. However, the cotton sector in India lags in productivity compared to many of its peers.

For the benefit of lakhs of cotton growing farmers, India’s FY26 Budget had announced a ‘Mission for Cotton Productivity’. “This 5-year mission will facilitate significant improvements in productivity and sustainability of cotton farming and promote extra-long staple cotton varieties. The best of science & technology support will be provided to farmers. Aligned with our integrated 5F vision for the textile sector, this will help in increasing incomes of the farmers and ensure a steady supply of quality cotton for rejuvenating India’s traditional textile sector,” Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in her Budget speech.

In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly officially recognised October 7 as World Cotton Day in recognition of the vital role played by cotton in society.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (HU)

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