Textile Ministry has prepared a draft note to forward central Government to give two-year extension to tenure of technology mission on cotton, which is to be expired on March 2007.
This draft note will be forwarded to central Government next month to be included in 11th Five Year Plan.
Extension would help ginning and pressing units improve quality, productivity, infrastructure and modernization as cotton demand has been rising and is expected to grow at 12 percent annually.
Consumption of cotton in mill production has reached 182 lakh bales in 2005-06 from 172 lakh bales in 2004-05 while exports of cotton accounted for 50 lakh bales compared to 45 lakh bales last year, according to statistics of Ministry of Textile.
Textile Minister Shankersinh Vaghela suggested contract farming and water management scheme should be adopted to provide better prices and ready market to the cotton growers and will remove role of middlemen.
He also added that two mini-cotton missions have been approved for development of 185 market yards and upgradation of 644 ginning and processing units.
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