Cotton The Most Sought-After Fibre In The Textile Industry At 25% of the global total, India is the world’s largest producer of cotton. It also has the largest area which cultivates cotton on earth representing about 38 % of the earth’s total area. The history of the cotton industry in India dates back to as long as 3000BC when it was exported as a bartering tool to Europe and Asia. Not much has changed since then as India still exports cotton in huge volumes to these continents-the only difference being the form of payment and the expansion of areas to which it is exported. In the year 2019-2020 cotton production in India amounted to 6.42million metric tons. The export of cotton yarn and cotton fabrics accounts for about 23 per cent of India’s total textiles and apparel exports. The Crop Committee of the Association has estimated total cotton supply till end of the cotton season i.e. up to 30th September 2020 at 377.00 lakh bales of 170 kgs.
So what is it about Cotton that makes it such a big commodity? Simply put, Cotton can easily be called the “Gold of Textile Industry”. Like gold, cotton holds the highest value in terms of reliability in its industry. Approximately 75% of the world’s clothing products contain at least some amount of cotton. Ranging from pure organic cotton to blended cotton yarns, the textile industry banks the most on the use of this fabric.