Cotton Productivity Mission Will Boost Yield & Strengthen Textile Value Chain: Mos Textiles

(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Dec 9 (KNN) The Government has launched a five-year Mission for Cotton Productivity, announced in the Union Budget 2025–26, to enhance cotton yield, promote innovation, and strengthen the textile value chain, Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita said on Monday.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today, the Minister said the Mission aims to boost cotton production through strategic interventions, including research and extension activities across all cotton-growing states.

It focuses on developing climate-smart, pest-resistant, and high-yielding cotton varieties, including Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton, using advanced breeding and biotechnology tools.

To complement the Mission, a Special Project on Cotton titled 'Targeting technologies to agro-ecological zones – large scale demonstration of best practices to enhance cotton productivity' has been implemented by ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur, across eight major cotton-growing states under the National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM) during FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25.

The project has been extended further for FY 2025-26 to enhance productivity and ELS cotton production.

Under the Mission, districts have been selected for targeted productivity enhancement based on cotton yield and area coverage.

Large-area, low-productivity districts number 37, while less-area, low-productivity districts total 40.

Large-area, high-productivity districts number 25, and less-area, high-productivity districts total 41.

These districts are being targeted for the upscaling of region-specific technologies, climate-resilient and pest-resistant varieties, and adoption of best practices.

The Minister said these initiatives aim to improve cotton productivity and quality, promote innovation, and strengthen the entire textile value chain, supporting farmers and enhancing India's cotton production.

(KNN Bureau)

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