Important to produce more cotton locally
It is now time to give thrust to cotton production simply because the demand for cotton has increased in the local spinning mills. According to a report published yesterday, Bangladesh may even outstrip China in importing cotton to become the worlds largest producer this financial year. It is really a welcome sign that demand for cotton is increasing. But for making our garment sector stronger we have to add more value to the sector. If we can use our existing resources properly, the locally produced cotton can substantially act as an import substitute. The Barind region of the country is especially favourable for cotton production because of its topography and climactic condition, and the good news is farmers there have an interest to increase cultivation of cotton as it is financially lucrative. If they can be extended help they are even ready to expand acreage under cotton. In fact, the cultivators of Naogaon, Natore and Pabna districts have started farming this cash crop more and more due to the profit it is bringing. It is worth mentioning here cotton farmers in general prefer varieties such as CB-12 and three hybrid varieties such as Rupali-1 and DM 1 and 2. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) must now see how best they could assist the farmers by providing quality cotton seeds to the farmers according to their demands. On the other hand, cotton production requires less investment and less labour but can bring maximum profit. Farmers can quit paddy and sugarcane cultivation for cotton. If we could make the best use of the existing resources and modern agricultural technology, cotton production can indeed be increased significantly. In the case of paddy, we can more and more opt for high-yielding seeds to maximise its harvest in the limited lands and thus create space for cotton production. The water and salinity resistant varieties of paddy can do the trick. Cotton farming is also important because it helps enrich the organic matter of the soil.
There is little doubt that increased use of locally produced cotton would make the garment industry more competitive and help its value-addition. Squeezing import would also save our foreign currencies. Economically speaking, garment industries are a blessing for us and in order to hold this blessing with us permanently, we have to make strong all of its backward linkages including cotton production.
