Global production of organic cotton is set to increase 48 per cent in 2020-21, says the 2021 Organic Cotton Market Report by Textile Exchange. As per Sourcing Journal, most of this growth will stem from India and Turkey with increased demand leading to a spurt in prices of organic cotton in India.

Largest volume of organic cotton fiber was harvested globally during the 2019-20 crop year. Around 249, 153 ton of organic cotton was grown by 229,280 farmers during the year. The crop spanned 588,425 hectare of certified organic land in 21 countries, reveals a Sourcing Journal report. It accounted for almost 1 percent of the global cotton harvest in the season.

The top seven organic cotton-producing countries during the year were: India, China, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Tanzania, Tajikistan and the US. Together, they accounted for 95 per cent of global organic cotton production. Two new countries, Uzbekistan and Myanmar, joined the lineup and at least another three countries are expected to join in the next few years. The biggest contributors to global growth were: Tanzania and Kyrgyzstan, followed by Uganda, the U.S., Pakistan, India and Turkey.

The rate of land conversion to organic cotton was the most in India followed by Turkey, Tajikistan and Tanzania.