Study On Organic Cotton Called For

Considering the scope and importance of organic cotton, the government should appoint a technical committee of experts drawn from the Indian Council for Agriculture Research, agricultural universities, the Cotton Corporation of India and representatives of mill owners and organic cotton farmers to study the issue, K Venugopal, project coordinator (cotton), CICR said.

Stating that cotton played an important role in the economy, he said more than one-third of foreign exchange earnings were from export of cotton and cotton textiles.

He said there was strong preference in recent years for eco-friendly organic and coloured cotton in Europe, the US, Australia, New Zealand and other developed countries. Even otherwise, there was a dire need to minimise the use of hazardous pesticides in sustaining cotton production, he added.

 

Venugopal said India, as the world's largest cotton grower, was cultivating all four species of cultivable cotton in diverse agro-climatic conditions. As such, there was vast scope for production and global marketing for organic cotton at a premium, he said.

He said nearly 60 per cent of the area was managed by resource-poor farmers and about 25 per cent under high-risk dry farming conditions, where farmers seldom applied fertilisers, chemicals and pesticides.

Stating that these were ideal locations for growing organic cotton, he said many areas in Gujarat, Karnataka and southern Tamil Nadu, where desi cottons and their hybrids were grown, could be diverted for full-fledged organic farming. He suggested that farmers in these areas be trained in organic cotton production technology.

Venugopal also laid emphasis on the need to enact specific organic cotton regulations, national standards and certification procedures for production and export. These efforts would greatly reduce use of chemical pesticides and make organic cotton cultivation a 'business agriculture' for profit and progress, he added.