6th December, Mumbai
Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Secretary (DARE) and Director General (ICAR) inaugurated the 9th Asian Cotton Research & Development Network Meeting & International Conference on “Innovation for a Resilient and Sustainable Cotton Production and Viable Value Chain” at ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai today.
The programme is co-hosted by ICAR-CIRCOT partnering with Indian Society for Cotton Improvement (ISCI) Mumbai, International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) Washington DC, USA, ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) Nagpur and the Indian Fibre Society (IFS) Mumbai.
Dr. Pathak, emphasised the need for multi-disciplinary scientists to address the entire value chain of cotton, a task being carried out at ICAR-CIRCOT, Mumbai. He emphasised the importance of maintaining momentum in the coming years, congratulating awardees and honorary fellows, and urging their guidance for better performance of the younger generation. He accentuated the importance of the 5Ps partnership for a long-lasting impact on Indian agriculture.
Dr. S. N. Jha, Deputy Director General (Agri Engg), emphasised the need to have a joint project to develop cotton varieties suitable for mechanized harvesting. He said that farmers need to be educated about carbon-positive agriculture and the effect of carbon emissions on the environment. Dr. Jha urged scientists to come up with a robotic harvesting system in two years period of time.
Dr. S. K. Shukla, Director, ICAR-CIRCOT, Mumbai, briefed the audience on the major achievements of the Institute. Notable achievements included the establishment of various basic properties of cotton fibres and their testing protocols, modernization of ginning industries, application of nanotechnology for value addition to cotton textiles, natural dyes & eco-friendly dyeing techniques for cotton, improved cotton ginning machineries and value addition to cotton biomass and byproducts.
Dr. C. D. Mayee, President, the Indian Society for Cotton Improvement (ISCI) and former Chairman, ASRB, elaborated on the need to address various issues related to cotton cultivation. He assured the textile industries that the supply of cotton would be assured due to the adoption of an efficient water management system, integrated pest management for pink bollworm and white flies in cotton, high-density planting system and other agronomic techniques required to enhance the cotton yield.
Shri. Eric Trachtenberg, Executive Director, ICAC, Washington DC, USA, briefed about their diversified activities for the benefit of the entire cotton community. ICAC, an association of members of cotton-producing, consuming and trading countries, has the mission to serve the cotton and textile community through promotion, knowledge sharing, innovation, partnerships and providing a forum for discussion of cotton issues of international significance. He highlighted their mode of working in collaboration with both the Government and private sector for the overall benefit of the stakeholders.
Ms. Roop Rashi, Textile Commissioner, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, mentioned that as many as 108 processes are being carried out before cotton fibres reach a consumer in the form of apparel and they need to be improved for efficiency and sustainability.
Dr. P. G. Patil, Vice Chancellor, MPKV, Rahuri, encouraged the researchers to focus on the latest developments like efficient ginning system, tracer fibres for cotton and sustainability practices in cotton cultivation and processing.
Shri. Suresh Kotak, Chairman, Kotak Group of Companies & Chairman of Textile Advisory Group (TAG) mentioned that the textile value chain has to be integrated backwards till the farm level so that the entire stakeholders of cotton benefit. He urged scientists to work in a collaborative mode for better and faster outcomes in advanced research areas.
Dr. Y. G. Prasad, Director, ICAR-CICR, Nagpur, delivered the Vote of thanks.
(Source: ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai)
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