Ministry of Textiles to host 81st Plenary Meeting of the International Cotton Advisory Committee from 2nd December till 5th December in Mumbai

by Priya Jadhav

Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Textiles, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Commerce & Industry to inaugurate the Meeting

Over 400 delegates from 35 countries likely to participate in the Meeting

The Government of India, Ministry of Textiles is hosting the 81st Plenary Meeting of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) in Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai during 2nd - 5th December, 2023 through the Office of Textile Commissioner in association with the Cotton Corporation of India Limited (CCI), the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) and the Cotton Association of India (CAI). It is a matter of honour and pride for India to host this event after nearly 8 years.

Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India would be inaugurating this Plenary on December 2, 2023 at 02:00 p.m. in Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. It is expected that over 400 delegates from 35 countries across continents consisting of Government representatives from various cotton growing and consuming countries/ regions, reputed industrialists, important business delegates, eminent scientists and researchers etc would be participating in the 4 day long conference. This will be the first in-person Plenary Meeting since 2019 due to Covid-19 pandemic. The previous event was hosted by India in 2015 with the theme “From Farm to Fabric: The Many Faces of Cotton” focusing on value addition. Moving forward it is to take the agenda from economics to ecology. This is also the 5th time that the ICAC Plenary Meeting is being held in India in the last 6 decades.

As all may be aware, ICAC is an inter-governmental body covering cotton that is recognized by the United Nations. ICAC was formed in 1939 and has 28 Member countries at present. India along with Brazil, Egypt, France, Sudan and USA is one of the founder members of this forum. In addition, other countries which are not ICAC members are also participating in the Conference. The 80th Plenary Meeting was held through virtual platform between November & December, 2022 with the theme “Driving Sustainability through Innovation and Leadership”. The Plenary Meeting of ICAC is held every year in the member countries of ICAC at their invitation. The Plenary Meetings of the ICAC provides a forum for discussions on international issues of importance to the World Cotton industry, and provides an opportunity for the industry and the government leaders from cotton producing, consuming and trading countries to deliberate on matters of mutual concern. The ICAC Plenary is also very important for promotion of Trade, Industry and Culture.

The theme of this Plenary Meeting is “Cotton Value Chain: Local Innovations for Global prosperity”. The 81st Plenary aims to serve as a platform for sharing innovations, benchmarks, good practices and experiences across the globe on productivity, climate resilience and circularity for a vibrant cotton economy. Focus is on local innovations and cutting edge technologies for sustainability developed locally but have global implications and potential for the prosperity of the cotton value chain touching the livelihoods of millions engaged in production, processing, trade, fashion and textile industry.

This Plenary Meeting encompasses a broad range of topics around cotton, including Technologies to increase productivity, Climate-smart Innovations as Game Changers for Cotton Production, Recent Impactful technological advances, Industry 4.0 for textiles: smart manufacturing in textiles, Global efforts in branding sustainability and Quality assurance, Genetics, Diversity to enhance cotton productivity, Cotton and Climate Resilience, Technological innovations for global collaborations and other sessions to glean opportunities from challenges as well as focusing of possible Collaborations for the growth in cotton textile value chain. Hon’ble Prime Minister during his presidency of G20 exhorted nations to collaborate the knowledge and technology sources for this planet earth. The collective effort would be to bring best practices and resources together for sustainability of enterprises while contributing positively to One People and One planet.

The event will give India an unique opportunity to showcase the strength, growth and resilience of the cotton based textile industry in India; share case studies, success stories and inventive steps of small and marginal farmers; highlight local initiatives for enhancing productivity, sustainability through Carbon sequestration: recent breakthroughs; pest management strategies, advancements in water management for Cotton and Textile Value chain; quality assurance and traceability; harmonizing the certification regimes, cotton by-products, herald the launch of the Indian brand of Kasturi cotton to the World, importance of price discovery mechanisms, Arbitrations for Cotton trade ; fostering Entrepreneurship in support services , impact of digital revolution and contribution to process as well as product on farm for higher value creation.

Prioritizing the need for transparency required in the global cotton value chain, India is leading from the front emphasizing the local innovations, diversity and values of sustainability, integrity and inclusiveness across cotton value chain. The launch of ‘Kasturi Cotton Bharat’ brand marks the country’s foray in providing complete end-to-end traceability and transparency solutions using Blockchain technology across the cotton textile value chain to deliver softer, stronger and purer cotton. Advancing good agricultural practices will provide fair economic benefits for farmers, encouraging circularity in the local economy and building the foundation of sustainable living for future generations. With the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s '5F' Formula guiding the way, India's textile sector is poised for sustained growth, and 'Kasturi Cotton' stands as a shining example of the nation's dedication to Quality and Assurance.

The meeting will include daylong sessions on different aspects of cotton economy followed by evening receptions and dinners hosted by Industry and Trade. Leadership has strengthened convergence between Ministry of Textile, Ministry of Agriculture and participating State Governments and Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of External Affairs has lent due facilitative support to this forum looking forward to confluence of best ideas and practices.

After the high-level-four-day Plenary Meeting, a Technical Tour is arranged for interested delegates from 6th to 8th December, 2023 in and around the textile city of Ahmedabad. The tour would aim to provide an insight into the textile industry in the country, highlighting the journey from farm to fashion, with a special focus on cotton.

India is also gearing up to host the world's largest textile exposition, Bharat Tex 2024, scheduled to take place from 26th to 29th February, 2024, in the International Exhibition cum Convention Centre (IECC) at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The international participants would also be engaged with an exposure to the spectrum of Textile products Bharat Tex is poised to showcase to the world with more than 10,000 exhibitors across handlooms, made-ups as well as technical textiles.