The Hindu Business Line : Organic cotton takes root in Kutch

New Delhi, Aug. 15 With organic fibre-based clothing emerging as a niche product category for global apparel majors such as Marks & Spencer, Timberland and Nike, organised cultivation of organic cotton is now taking root in some pockets of the country.

In Rapar taluk of Gujarat’s Kutch district, around 1,000 cotton growers have been granted ‘organic’ certification by Agrocel, an agricultural services provider controlled by the Shroff family of Excel Industries Ltd. The growers signing up with Agrocel have had to follow a five-step process of changeover from conventional pesticide-based farming to organic cultivation of cotton.

“These involve methods such as planting trap crops such as maize (which can attract bollworms and other insect pests away from cotton into areas where they can be controlled before they infest cotton) and attracting beneficial insects such as grasshoppers and bees. Also, they have to reduce usage of fertilisers and pesticides, which are measured through pesticide pollution units,” said Ms Anuradha Bhavnani, Adviser to Shell Foundation, a UK-based charity.

Beyond funding

Shell Foundation has provided the seed capital for Agrocel’s project in Kutch. “Our role does not stop at funding and ensuring that the cotton grown gets organic certification through bodies like Skal International. We work through the entire supply chain, right from the field (where the cotton is grown) to the ginners (where the lint is separated), spinning mills (where the lint is spun into yarn), fabric processors, garment manufacturers and the final buyers,” Ms Bhavnani explained.

She said the fibre from the 1,000-odd certified organic growers of Kutch is being sourced by apparel chains such as Marks & Spencer and Gossypium.

“We have also tied up with leading mills like Maral Overseas Ltd, Indore who directly buy the organically-certified yarn. It is a fully transparent process, in which farmers have been paid a 25 per cent price premium over ordinary cotton and have reported an average 15 per cent increase in income,” she claimed.

More Stories on : Cotton | Cultivation | Gujarat

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