India Charts Roadmap For Sustainable Cotton Future On World Cotton Day 2025

The Ministry of Textiles, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), marked World Cotton Day 2025 in New Delhi with a high-level conference themed “Cotton 2040: Technology, Climate & Competitiveness.” The event brought together senior government officials, industry leaders, and stakeholders from across the cotton value chain to discuss strategies for sustainability, productivity and global competitiveness in India’s cotton sector.

Union Minister of Textiles, Giriraj Singh and Union Minister of State for Textiles and External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita graced the occasion, reaffirming the Government’s commitment to transforming India’s textile ecosystem through innovation, technology, and sustainability.

Singh emphasized that cotton remains the ‘soul of Indian agriculture,’ symbolizing the hard work and resilience of millions of farmers. He reiterated the Government’s vision to achieve a US$ 350 billion textile sector by 2030, including US$ 100 billion in exports, alongside a strong push toward carbon neutrality.

He noted that while India accounts for 40% of the world’s cotton-growing area, productivity still averages around 450 kg per hectare, well below global standards. To address this, the Government is formulating the Mission for Cotton Productivity, aimed at boosting yield and ensuring better returns for farmers. He further stressed the need for sustainable resource management through judicious water use, renewable energy adoption, and soil conservation in rain-fed cotton regions.

Encouraging collaboration across the entire textile value chain, Singh urged stakeholders to take pride in Kasturi Cotton Bharat, positioning it as a symbol of purity, sustainability, and quality comparable to globally recognized varieties like Egyptian Giza and American Supima. He also called for exploring new natural fibres such as ramie, flax and milkweed to strengthen India’s leadership in sustainable textiles.

Pabitra Margherita, Minister of State for Textiles and External Affairs, underlined the importance of building leadership in quality, sustainability, and ethical production, noting that the Kasturi Cotton initiative aligns with the Government’s ‘5F Vision’—Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign. He highlighted opportunities for international collaboration, including deeper textile partnerships with Russia and other key markets.

Textiles Secretary Neelam Shami Rao highlighted that cotton supports over six million farmers and provides employment to more than 45 million people. She emphasized the need for technology-led transformation through precision farming, modern ginning infrastructure, and digital traceability systems to enhance productivity and global competitiveness.

Dr. M. Beena, Development Commissioner (Handlooms) and Textile Commissioner, and Smt. Padmini Singla, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, underscored the Ministry’s ongoing initiatives under schemes such as ATUFS, PM MITRA, and NTTM to strengthen modernization and sustainability across the textile value chain. They reiterated the collective goal of making India a global leader in traceable, high-quality, and sustainable cotton.

The event also featured addresses by Lalit Kumar Gupta, CMD, Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), Ashwin Chandran, Chairman, CITI and Ravi Sam, Vice Chairman, TEXPROCIL. Speakers discussed cotton’s crucial role in exports, employment generation, and rural livelihoods, emphasizing its contribution to India’s economic growth.

The celebration concluded with the signing of multiple MoUs under the Kasturi Cotton Bharat initiative with key organizations, including Nitin Spinners, Arvind Ltd., RSR International, All India Cotton FPO Association (AIFCA), Beetle Regen, Hohenstein, ICAR-CIRCOT, and Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC). These agreements aim to strengthen collaboration in sustainable cotton production, quality assurance, and market development.

With its focus on technology, climate resilience and competitiveness, World Cotton Day 2025 reaffirmed India’s ambition to lead the global cotton value chain and establish Kasturi Cotton Bharat as a world-class brand synonymous with trust, traceability and sustainability.