To retain international customers and woo global brands, Pakistan needs to go for ethically-grown ‘Better Cotton’. The fourth largest producer of cotton in the world and one that has the third largest spinning capacity in Asia after China and India, Pakistan’s textile industry is known across the globe world for high quality of its products it supplies to local and international brands, especially textile.

The increase in demand for textile products is because the usage of cotton in them is far higher than synthetic fibre. While the country is working on plans to increase cotton production, it faces another challenge. It won’t be able to get orders from leading brands of the world without meeting these challenges.

Pakistan will need to promote the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) in the country and increase production of Better Cotton grown according to a set of rules and procedures, to stay competitive. Anis ul Haq, Secretary All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) said that the local textile industry was aware of this challenge and was trying to adjust accordingly. He added that every activity under this initiative, from growing of cotton to ginning, spinning and weaving, etc., is monitored and recorded in a system and can be tracked.

The APTMA is playing its role to promote this product as this will be a preferred raw material, he adds. Besides, he states, Patrick Charles Laine, Chief Executive, BCI and APTMA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2014 to implement joint activities to mainstream sustainability in cotton production in Pakistan.

www.aptma.org.pk

bettercotton.org