Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan on Tuesday reviewed the Centre’s Mission for Cotton Productivity (Kapas Kanti) and stressed the need for time-bound approvals, higher farm productivity and measures to improve India’s competitiveness in the global cotton market.
The Vice President was briefed at the Uprashtrapati Bhavan by Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, along with senior officials from the Ministries of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Textiles.
According to an official statement, the Mission focuses on three areas: improving cotton productivity through research, technology and better agronomic practices; ensuring the availability of high-quality cotton through initiatives such as KASTURI Cotton certification and the Kisan Kapas App; and promoting new-age natural fibres to support innovation and sustainability in the textile sector.
V-P Radhakrishnan said approval processes should be time-bound to accelerate innovation and enable the timely adoption of new technologies. He also called for clearly defined targets to raise per-acre cotton yields and reduce the productivity gap with other major cotton-producing countries.
Emphasising the need to strengthen India’s position in the global cotton market, the Vice President said the country must be prepared to meet the rising domestic and international demand for quality cotton.
He also called for greater public awareness about the Mission, market-oriented implementation strategies and wider dissemination of successful initiatives through television documentaries, the statement said.
