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Our Bureau

Coimbatore, May 6 South India Cotton Association (SICA) has sought the extension of the technology mission on cotton (TMC), the Central Government-sponsored programme aimed at developing India’s raw cotton base both quantitatively and qualitatively.

“SICA has made a submission to the Centre in this regard asking for extending the TMC for another 5-year term as the association feels that lot more needs to be done in terms of better quality cotton seeds and seed oriented R&D,” said Mr K.N. Viswanathan, Secretary of the association.

The mission, introduced in 2002, covered cotton sector improvement through four mini mission modes — each targeting the seed research, technology transfer from lab to land, cotton market yard development and upgradation of ginnery with capital subsidy formations.

Mr Viswanathan said while the first five-year run of TMC had immensely benefited India’s cotton development programme in terms of increased productivity, cotton market yard development and modernisation of ginnery, still a vast segment of cotton tracts — especially the southern cotton belts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh as well as the western cotton belt in Maharashtra — are yet to tap the full potential of development using the TMC mode.

Karnataka, for example, has targeted to lift its current cotton production of 15 lakh bales to 25 lakh bales in the next two years.

Similarly, Andhra Pradesh, the leading cotton producer in South with current production at 33 lakh bales, is poised to increase its crop output to 50 lakh bales.

Tamil Nadu is also planning to improve its crop area and seed production technology.

The crop technology benefits are to be fully harnessed by the cotton growers in Maharashtra too.

To pursue these tasks, Mr Viswanathan felt the need for continuing the TMC for another five-year term as its spend of Rs 750 crore in its first five years’ run-up was not sufficient to meet the task on hand.

In the span of the past four years, India’s cotton production has improved from 156 lakh bales to 300 lakh bales, with parallel improvement in reduction achieved in the level of contamination in raw cotton, vastly attributed to the induction of the first ever technology mission for cotton between 2002-2007.

More Stories on : Cotton | Industry Associations | Technology | Tamil Nadu

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