'Higher Cotton Output, Quality Our Aim'

Business Standard: Why is the present Ginning and Pressing Act being repealed?

B C Khatua: The Cotton & Pressing Act, 1925, was enacted for the purpose of regulating the cotton ginning and pressing factories. The Act had wide-ranging provisions including maintenance of registers, periodical filing of returns, marking of bales and other rule-making powers, both for the central and state governments, for ginning and pressing factories.

There have been substantial changes in the pattern of processing, marketing and consumption of cotton since the enactment of the Act.

Some of the provisions, viz, bale marking standards, fixation of ginning and pressing charges by district collectors, have outlived their practicality and functional utility. At a time when there is increasing demand for quality products, the modernisation of ginning and pressing factories is essential. Of course, the desired objective could have been achieved through substantial amendments in the Act.

 

But, since cotton is an essential commodity covered under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, the objectives of modernisation, regulatory provisions for quality control and periodical returns for statistical and planning purposes could be achieved equally effectively in a simplified, centralised way through suitable amendments in the Cotton Control Order, 1986, issued under the Essential Commodities Act. Hence, there is no need for a separate Ginning and Pressing Act.

BS: You are also entrusted with the responsibilities of the Cotton Development Authority. What are your plans for the development of cotton ?

Khatua : Cotton production has grown from 138 lakh bales in 1994-95 to 164 lakh bales in 1995-96 and would be around the same this year too. But, this spectacular growth is more due to increase in area than productivity.

The mill consumption of cotton is growing pretty fast. India's cotton productivity at 300 kg/hectare has a long way to go to catch up with the world average of 565 kg/hectare.

Looking at the limitations of area expansion, growth in future must come from higher productivity. Hence, the cotton technology mission is being proposed to ensure focused research on the crop's technology, extension of research results to the farm level, cotton marketing and processing.

Higher productivity and better quality, while ensuring greater return to the farmer will further boost the cotton textile industry and our export efforts. Contamination-free high quality cotton with higher productivity is our aim.

BS: Today, polyester staple fibre is cheaper than cotton. This may lead to collapse of the cotton system and economy. How do you propose to tackle this problem?

Khatua : It is true that a steep fall in polyester staple fibre (PSF) prices have of late resulted in a shift towards its consumption. But, this trend is visible more in the changing blending ratio of PSF with cotton or viscose rather than as a stand-alone fibre.

Given India's limited exports of polyester textiles and our hot, tropical climate, extensive substitution of cotton with polyester is unlikely.

However, in the long run, it could encourage increased exports of polyester fabrics/apparel and production of polyester-centric blended fabrics for Indian masses.

But, I do not see a threat to cotton in this scenario. Given India's inherent strength in producing the shortest to the longest staple cotton and its strong presence in the export market, I look at it as a shift in the right direction.

Medium and low cost blended fabrics for the masses and high value cotton fabrics for exports could be our strategy for the future. The Indian textile spinning sector is technologically very strong today as is evident from the booming cotton yarn exports. We are working on an ambitious Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) to modernise and upgrade our weaker weaving and processing sectors during the ninth plan period. With such modernisation, we could look forward to a high growth in value-added cotton textile exports in future.

BS: How would you standardize the weight of cotton bales of 170 kg at the international level ?

Khatua : Different countries adopt different standards (See table).We have adopted 170 kg bales as the standard weight of a bale. At present, the tolerance limits for running bales are under review with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

BS: What measures do you propose to take for increasing the average yield of Indian cotton which is lowest amongst the leading cotton producing countries?

Khatua : Though the largest in acreage and third highest in production, our cotton productivity is one of the lowest.

Seventy per cent of the area under cotton is rain-fed. Even in irrigated tracts like Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, the yield at 450 kg or so is not very encouraging. Impure seeds, uninformed fertilisation and pest control practices mainly contribute to the low yield. Integrated approach in these areas backed up by adequate research, water conservation, drip irrigation are the major means through which cotton productivity could be increased.

BS: How can cotton contamination faced by the yarn industry be tackled? Does it require any legal framework?

Khatua : Cotton generally gets contaminated at three stages: during picking of kapas (seed cotton) at the farm level, at the market yard and at the processing stage.

Farmers will have to be educated on clean picking habits, handling and non-picking of immature balls through extension services.

Agriculture produce market yards or mandis as they are known, are one of the important levels where kapas get severely contaminated. There are no adequate shelters/storage places with raised platforms and roofs in the market yard for storing kapas.

The yards are not adequately paved and regularly cleaned. The required infrastructure facilities too are lacking. Contamination at the processing stage is essentially the result of factors related to the way we treat cotton at the ginning factories rather than to anything 'inherent' in Indian cotton.

These factors are: poor storage conditions, extensive and negligent manual handling of kapas, lint, etc for transport and poor work practices.

Contamination can be minimised at the market yard if a part of the 2 to 4 per cent cess collected by APMC is spent for proper maintenance of the yards.

Contamination cannot be solved by law. More than anything else, it needs a grassroots approach right from the picking at farm level to the pressing of bales for improving work practices. The Union textile ministry is proposing to include the cotton ginning and pressing sector in its ambitious TUF scheme during the ninth plan.