Context: The Union Cabinet approved the Mission for Cotton Productivity with a massive outlay of ₹5,659.22 crore.
About Mission for Cotton Productivity:
What it is?
- The Mission for Cotton Productivity is a strategic national initiative designed to address stagnant growth, pest vulnerabilities, and quality issues in India’s cotton sector. It follows the Government’s 5F Vision: Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign.
Nodal Ministries: Jointly implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and the Ministry of Textiles.
Reach: Initially targets 140 districts across 14 states and involves 2,000 ginning/processing factories.
Aim:
The primary goal is to achieve Self-Reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat) in the cotton sector by:
- Increasing cotton production to 498 lakh bales (170 kg each) by 2031.
- Boosting lint productivity from the current 440 kg/ha to 755 kg/ha.
- Ensuring the supply of high-quality, contaminant-free cotton to domestic and global industries
Key Features:
- Seed Innovation: Focus on developing High-Yielding Variety (HYV), climate-resilient, and pest-resistant seeds to minimize crop loss.
- Advanced Farming Techniques: Upscaling modern production technologies such as High-Density Planting System (HDPS), Closer Spacing (CS), and Integrated Cotton Management.
- Quality & Modernization: Modernizing ginning and processing units to reduce trash content to less than 2% and upgrading testing labs to meet global benchmarks.
- Branding & Traceability: Promoting Kasturi Cotton Bharat as a premium, sustainable Indian brand with robust digital traceability.
- Digital Empowerment: Integrating market yards (mandis) with e-platforms for transparent price discovery and direct market access for nearly 32 lakh farmers.
- Circular Economy: Promoting the recycling of cotton waste to create additional value streams and reduce environmental footprints.
- Fibre Diversification: Integrating other natural fibres like flax, bamboo, banana, milkweed, and sisal to complement cotton and meet diverse global demands
Significance:
- Directly benefits approximately 32 lakh farmers through better yields and improved price realization via digital integration.
- By enhancing quality and branding (Kasturi Cotton), India can command premium prices in international Fashion to Foreign markets.
