At a recent press meet of the association, Ravi Sam, Chairman, The Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA) appealed to Prime Minister Narender Modi to allow duty-free import of 40 lakh bales of cotton to avoid stoppage of production and job losses due to cotton shortage during the end of the season.
Cotton yield to decline in current season
From April 2021 to January 2022, India’s exports of cotton yarn, fabrics and made ups increased 63 per cent from $7775 million to $12,681 million, Sam informed. India also witnessed 1.15 per cent acceleration in domestic cotton consumption during the current cotton season with the industry requiring 360 lakhs, surpassing the available crop size for the first time in the history. In 2021-22, India’s cotton yield is expected to decline by 7.2 per cent to 350 lakh bales against the requirement of 360 lakh bales due to a reduction in cotton acreage and crop damage in certain cotton growing states, Sam said.
India’s cotton supplies may reach 437 lakhs bales during the current season he estimated. Domestic cotton consumption estimates may reach 360 lakhs bales while exports may be 50 lakh bales, he added. India would have only 27 lakhs bales of closing stock, resulting in a shortage of 40 lakhs bales of good quality cotton to meet the industry demand and sustain its growth rate, he added.
TMC 2.0 to ensure clean cotton
To overcome shortage, Sam urged the government to implement the Technology Mission on Cotton 2.0 (TMC 2.0) to boost cotton production. As recommended by the Ministry of Textiles, TMC 2.0 will ensure technology development, technology transfer, clean cotton and branding Indian cotton and its textile products. The TMC 1.0 and Bt technology, has already boosted India’s cotton productivity from 275 kg per hectare to 585 ks per hectare, he added.
TMC 2.0 will benefit not just the existing 6.5 million cotton farmers but also several lakhs of new farmers in India. It will also create over 20 million new jobs in the country by increasing the total area under cotton cultivation, he added.
