Cotton sector scheme to upgrade crop

The Indian Cotton Mills' Federation (ICMF) and its Cotton Development and Research Association (CDRA) will work together to develop awareness on new methods of cotton cultivation during cotton year 2004-05 across the country to enhance productivity and quality and thereby secure better prices for growers.

"ICMF-CDRA will facilitate transfer of technology from lab to land. Cotton farmers and the textile industry will benefit from the scheme since it will focus on strategies for enhancing cotton yield and consequently higher return to farmers, besides ensuring a steady supply of quality cotton to industry at international prices," P D Patodia, chairman of the standing committee on cotton of ICMF-CDRA, said.

The ICMF-CDRA project would involve textile mills in implementing the awareness programme since they were a major stakeholder in the textile chain. Quality cotton at economic prices was critical if Indian textile mills were to become globally competitive.

The scheme would have three components - education of farmers about modern cultivation, quality management and least cost pest management.

A package on integrated cotton cultivation would develop partnership between farmer, mill and CDRA. Mills will identify areas and form associations of farmers.

Mills would decide on cotton varieties and hybrids to be grown by member farmers. The mills would arrange for cotton experts to guide farmers on adoption of new agricultural practices, organise supply of quality inputs and buy the cotton product at a mutually agreed price.

Patodia said response to the proposal had been encouraging and mills had already brought about 33,000 ha under integrated cotton cultivation scheme. The areas covered included districts of Coimbatore, Salem, Chennai, Dharwad, Amravathi, Wardha, Hissar, Mahboobnagar, Ranga Reddy, Bhavnagar and Abohar.

The mills and CDRA would organise 'kisan melas' with the support of the state agriculture departments, local ginning and processing factories and pesticides companies.

Mills would educate farmers on quality, methods of picking of cotton, its storage and transportation to market yards and on modern methods of cultivation. CDRA would ask the best cotton farmer at state or district levels to share his expertise with others.

CDRA would like mills to consider setting up a technology centre for cotton growers. The proposed centre, to be headed by a cotton expert, would guide cotton growers on right agricultural practices, ensure availability of quality inputs and provide exposure to growers on modern techniques of farming.