Primark’s extends cotton initiative to Pakistan
24/09/2018
The project was set up in partnership with agricultural experts CottonConnect and the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA). It aims to help women generate income and improve their livelihoods by training them in sustainable farming methods. So far, more than 6,000 farmers have received or are receiving training through the scheme.
Primark has now worked with CottonConnect and local NGO REEDS (the Rural Education and Economic Development Society) to introduce the programme into Pakistan. Around 20,000 farmers are already enrolled in it, with the aim for more than 30,000 farmers across both sourcing regions to be being trained in sustainable farming methods by 2022.
The programme was designed to train smallholder farmers. Those enrolled are trained by CottonConnect in the most appropriate farming techniques for their land, from seed selection, sowing, soil, water, pesticide and pest management, to picking, fibre quality, grading and storage of the harvested cotton.
For Primark, by starting at the beginning of the supply chain, it is able to fully trace the cotton it uses, from its initial farming, to the factory floor of its partner manufacturers to the shelves of its stores.
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