Indian textile industry urges higher cotton production
The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) through its Cotton Development and Research Association (CDRA) held a farmers meeting in Bhilwara, Rajasthan on 19 October 2011.
Shri P.D.Patodia, chairman of CITI’s Standing Committee on Cotton presided over the function and Shri Mukund Choudhary, vice chairman of CITI was the chief guest. Over 2,000 cotton farmers from Bhilwara, Banswara and other nearby districts of Rajasthan attended the meeting. Representatives of spinning mills, ginners and cotton traders were also present. Scientists from RVK, Bhilwara and Banswara and officers of the State Government’s Agriculture Department were among the participants.
Shri P.D. Patodia said in his welcome that cotton yields in India were still much below the world average of over 750 kilograms per hectare and there was an urgent need to improve them.
Mr Patodia complemented the State Government of Rajasthan for encouraging drip irrigation by liberalising norms for subsidy. He also highlighted the work done under the collaborative cotton project being implemented by CITI-CDRA for the past four years in association with the State Government of Rajasthan and Bayer CropScience, Mumbai, covering 20,200 hectares and involving over 37,000 cotton farmers.
