“The Cotton Farmers of India Get their Due in the World Markets” said Piyush Goyal

The certification of “Kasturi Cotton India” along with its branding and traceability has been undertaken by Cotton Corporation of India Ltd and TEXPROCIL, sponsored by Govt. of India as they signed a Memorandum of Understanding on December 15. The association is set to help Indian farmers to get their comeuppance in the global markets.

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Textiles, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Commerce & Industry,  yesterday, participated in the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Cotton Corporation of India Ltd and TEXPROCIL to regulate the branding, traceability and certification of “Kasturi Cotton India”. 

He said that the collaboration will be beneficial for the cotton farmers who will be able to get true value of produce due to the upcoming brand building and quality assurance of cotton, with the MoU signing. An advisory group on ‘Man-Made Fibre’ has been set up to regulate the vision of Cotton production. The Govt. of India is to pay an equal share of Rs. 15 crores for three cotton seasons from 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25.

The purpose of the MoU is to regulate the entire process of Cotton ‘value-chain’. The traceability is to focus on the cotton production from the farms to identify origin of it along with tracking of the product through software based technology like Geo-Tagging and DNA based tracing solutions.

The branding of “Kasturi Cotton India” aims to promote the quality of Indian Cotton with premium tagging in the international markets for an unique brand value identity expediting a premium pricing for it with the primary goal of enhancing the export of the products. The certification of the “Kasturi Cotton India” is going to facilitate a QR code based technology through registration and certification of transaction. It will give authentication during screenings conducted by other brands in the supply chain. 

Initiatives taken by the Ministry of Textiles are on the hindsight to be able to implement PM’s vision of 5F-from Farm to Fibre to Fabric to Fashion to Foreign vision, added Piyush Goyal. Modi’s aim to lead the textile industry to becoming Atma Nirbhar as Free Trade Agreements are being signed with several countries, making India’s export trajectory stronger. Previously Free Trade Agreements were signed with UAE as FTA signed with Australia begins from December 29.

To further the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and promoting the ‘Vocal for Local’ notion, the Ministry of Textiles announced “Kasturi Cotton India” on October 7 to make Indian cotton big in the markets with the brand logo denoting its Indianness as being soft, pure, lustrous, and white.