Tamil Nadu Government announces Sustainable Cotton Cultivation Mission, industry responds positively

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Mar 22, 2022

The Tamil Nadu State Government announced its agriculture budget on March 19 and included within it an allocation for a Sustainable Cotton Cultivation Mission to boost the sector. 

The Tamil Nadu budget included Rs 15.32 crore for a Sustainable Cotton Cultivation Mission which will promote cotton production with a focus on enhancing the yield of organic cotton, The Hindu reported. Tamil Nadu’s textile industry is predominately cotton-based and consumes far more cotton than what the state itself produces. By increasing the cotton production in the state itself, textile businesses will be able to save on out-of-state transportation costs and the state’s economy will be boosted. 
 
The budget announcement was met with a positive response from the industry. The Southern India Mills’ Association announced in a press release that the state should be able to augment its cotton production to 15 lakh bales in the next five years with the aid of the proposed mission.

The Federation of Indian Export Organisations president A Sakthivel shared the positive sentiment and said that the Sustainable Cotton Cultivation Mission has the potential to make the state a leader in the textile and garment industry. 
 
As part of the initiative, a soil testing centre will be set up in Mayiladuthurai to enhance farming. The Southern India Mills’ Association suggested a further budget for machinery to enable farmers overcome the current labour shortage and  increase their yields.