After achieving considerable increase in the production of cotton to 280 lakh bales (70 kg lint/bale) in 2006-07 and productivity to 500 kg per hectare, cotton manufacturers are now turned their focus to extra long staple (ELS) cotton. The Coimbatore-based Southern India Mills Association and its Cotton Development & Research Association (SIMA CD&
RA), has called for the establishment of an ELS cotton special purpose vehicle (SPV) with public and private sector partnership. It also wants the creation of an Indian ELS cotton brand like the Egyptian Giza and the US Pima.
The production of ELS cotton variety now is estimated to be about 2.65 lakh bales, while the requirement is placed at around 10 lakh bales. The gap is met by imports from Egypt, Sudan and the US. The vision statement of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) places the requirement of ELS cotton at 20 lakh bales by 2015. The objective of the proposed SPV, according to J Thulasidharan, chairman of SIMA CD & RA, is to hike ELS cotton production to 15 lakh bales by 2010 and 20 lakh bales by 2015; to improve the ELS cotton fibre quality parameters on par with the international varieties by 2010; to increase yield per hectare and increase area under ELS cotton cultivation and ensure higher income to the farmers; to make available fine and superfine count yarn at a competitive price to the handloom sector and to meet the growing demand in the export market. He said, “worldwide the trend is to go for finer cottons not only in textiles but also in apparals and garments. The spinning mills are installing high speed machineries requiring high quality cotton in terms of fibre length, micronaire and strength”. However, in India the production of ELS cotton is on the decline and the available ones have poor fibre properties. They are a mixture of inferior cotton with cotton of superior fibre properties and have very high trash content.
Thulasidharan said SIMA CD &RA is continuing its efforts to improve production, and productivity of quality cotton through development of research activities, by popularising location specific and cost-effective production techniques at farm level in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The Association has been implementing a project for the restoration of the `Suvin’ varieties with improved fibre properties, stable yield and crop duration. The same is being done for MCU-5 super variety and MCU-7.
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