• ALGINATE FIBRES An Overview
• RAMKUMAR'S Corner
• TR Exclusive : AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE ON COTTON INDUSTRY
• TECHNICAL TEXTILES Special Article
• Pressure-Thickness Relation And Compression Properties Of Plain And Pique Knitted Fabrics
• Global Trade Analysis On International Trade In Other Natural Vegetable Fibers
• Textile New Projects
• Textile Statistics
• Career Opportunities

Cotton, textiles, and apparel are critical agricultural and industrial sectors in India. Cotton, cotton-related products, textiles, and apparel are important commodities that make up critical agricultural and industrial sectors in India. A number of key developments are emerging domestically and globally that will potentially have profound effects on the cotton-textile-apparel sectors of the economy.

The industries face the challenge of remaining competitive in the context of the emergence of China as a huge textile and apparel exporter may also affect the cotton and cotton-related processing industries of India.

More than four million farm households produce cotton in India, and about one-quarter of output is produced by marginal and small farms. Although production has expanded - most recently with the introduction of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton - domestic prices dropped sharply in the late 1990s, in parallel to world cotton prices. Using partial equilibrium simulations, estimated that a price movement of the magnitude that occurred has a significant effect on levels of poverty among cotton-producing households. The fiber-to-fabric production chain, from cotton processing through apparel, employs more than 12 million workers in India and provides 16 percent of export earnings. Except for the spinning industry, these sectors are dominated by small, fragmented, and nonintegrated units, which adversely affect their competitiveness. Recent policy reforms have induced some technological improvements.

In terms of future prospects for the Indian processing, textile, and apparel industries, current analysis emphasizes three dimensions of reform - the need for further investments in human resource development to improve industry productivity and reduce poverty among workers in these sectors, the emergence of modern domestic retail marketing chains, and the potentially vibrant prospects for the industry that arise from a growing domestic fabric demand and new opportunities in world markets if appropriate policies and investments are undertaken. Apart from the technological advancements, weather has its own direct influence on the agriculture production. For the success of any production process no compromise on quality and quantity of raw materials which can influence output.

This issue carries an interview with Mr. Steve Verett and Mr. Roger Haldenby of USA giving an international perspective of cotton industry. We hope that this will give an interesting reading.