A group of cotton ginners from Maharashtra will visit Singapore to explore possible deals for Indian cotton. They will visit a couple of the world’s largest agri-commodities companies based in Singapore. The aim is to attract large buyers to Indian cotton. Asian heads of these companies will be invited to India so that they can see the quality of Indian cotton for themselves.

Similar visits have been made to potential buyers in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam and China. A team visited Chinese buyers, traders, ginners and warehouses and provided samples of their cotton which was tested by Chinese experts. This was followed by a visit to the Jalgaon region by Chinese traders and ginners as well as their visits to Indian farms. China has been the biggest importer of cotton from India until now.

Contracts have been struck with buyers in China, Vietnam, Pakistan and Bangladesh. There has been an effort to improve the productivity of cotton. What began as an effort to mentor some 40 farmers in 10 talukas of Jalgaon district resulted in a 50 to 70 per cent improvement in productivity.

India’s cotton production in 2017-18 is likely to be 375 lakh bales, up 12 per cent from the current season. In the current year, cotton exports from the country are likely to touch 63 lakh bales, lower from 72 lakh bales in 2016-17.