Cotton Corporation of India Marks 56 Years with Major Push for Cotton Farmers

Addressing the gathering, Giriraj Singh described cotton as one of the pillars of India's rural economy and reaffirmed the government's commitment to protecting the interests of cotton farmers.

The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) celebrated its 56th Foundation Day at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra with a strong focus on improving the livelihoods of cotton farmers, increasing productivity and strengthening India's position in the global cotton market. Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh attended the event along with ministers from the Maharashtra Government, senior officials, scientists, industry representatives, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and cotton growers from across the country.

The celebration highlighted the government's recent initiatives to support cotton cultivation through higher minimum support prices, digital services, modern farming equipment and a comprehensive productivity mission.

Record Procurement Strengthens Farmer Income

Addressing the gathering, Giriraj Singh described cotton as one of the pillars of India's rural economy and reaffirmed the government's commitment to protecting the interests of cotton farmers.

He said CCI carried out one of its biggest Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement operations during the 2025-26 cotton season by purchasing more than 522 lakh quintals of seed cotton (kapas) through nearly 24 lakh farmer transactions. The procurement resulted in the direct transfer of ₹41,530 crore into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of farmers, ensuring transparent and timely payments.

The Minister also announced that the MSP for seed cotton has been increased by around 7 per cent for the 2026-27 cotton season, providing better income security for cotton growers.

Kapas Kanti Mission to Modernise Cotton Sector

Giriraj Singh highlighted the recently approved Cotton Productivity Mission – Kapas Kanti, which has a financial outlay of ₹5,659 crore over five years. He said the mission will improve cotton productivity and quality while promoting sustainable cultivation, modern processing infrastructure and stronger branding through the Kasturi Cotton Bharat initiative.

According to the Minister, Kasturi Cotton Bharat will help position premium Indian cotton in global markets through certification, traceability and internationally accepted quality standards, creating a stronger "Farm to Fashion" value chain.

New Tools and Information for Farmers

During the programme, the Ministry launched the Kapas Darshan Bulletin, which will provide farmers with regular updates on weather, market trends, scientific farming practices, quality management and government schemes.

Cotton growers and Farmer Producer Organizations also received modern agricultural equipment, including Kapas Plucker Machines, Cotton Stalk Shredder Machines and Contamination Control Kits, to encourage scientific and contamination-free cotton cultivation. Demonstrations and awareness sessions on pink bollworm management and sustainable farming practices were also organised.

Four MoUs to Strengthen Cotton Ecosystem

A major highlight of the celebration was the signing of four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) designed to improve quality, sustainability and market access across the cotton value chain.

CCI partnered with ICAR-CIRCOT to enhance capacity building and quality in the ginning and pressing sector, while another agreement with GIZ will support sustainability, quality assurance and traceability under Kasturi Cotton Bharat. A separate collaboration involving CITI, ICAC and MERAGO/GEOCLARA will promote carbon credit generation through climate-smart cotton farming. TEXPROCIL and Manjeet Cotton Pvt. Ltd. also signed an agreement to produce and certify 30,000 traceable cotton bales under the Kasturi Cotton Bharat programme.

Joint Secretary (Fibre) Padmini Singla said India's cotton sector is entering a new phase driven by innovation, sustainability and productivity improvements, while CCI Chairman-cum-Managing Director Lalit Kumar Gupta reaffirmed the corporation's commitment to ensuring fair prices for farmers and building a stronger cotton value chain in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.