Mr. Shreyaskar Chaudhary
Managing Director
Pratibha Syntex Limited
Company Details
Business Area:
Cotton Producer, Yarn, Fabrics, Garments manufacturer
Turnover:
Indian Rs. 8 billion
Export Capabilities:
25,000 tonnes of organic, Fairtrade & BCI cotton; 28,000 tonnes of ring spun and melange yarn.
Clientele:
C&A, Woolworth, Esprit, Mountain Equipment Coop, Patagonia, Walmart, s.Oliver, Nike.
How large is the current market for organic cotton and how do you see it evolving in near future, given the increasing focus on sustainability?
The market size of global organic cotton has grown close to US$ 9 billion. With major retailers increasing the use of organic cotton, demand for it is bound to increase.
At present, there are 18 countries producing organic cotton, which include India, Syria, China, Turkey and USA. India alone accounts for 74 percent share in organic cotton production.
Organic cotton is demanded by several major apparel brands and we see a rising commitment to even Fair Trade in cotton with commitment from the sustainable brands like Patagonia. While C&A, H&M, and Puma, amongst others, are large drivers for organic cotton.
India, Bangladesh and China are the countries with highest consumption of organic cotton. Bangladesh being an apparel exporter imports its yarns from India making it the highest yarn consumer, while India remains a leader in organic cotton globally.
In order to increase the market size of organic cotton, research and development at a larger scale needs to be carried out vigorously. More work needs to be done on farming, bio-diversity, seed availability and facilitating the activities with expert guidance from trained agronomists for capacity building.
Also, there is need to extend support towards farming practices, especially with regards to availability of manures and the need to make the laborious practices more convenient. The reach out of the government on policies in this regard will boost organic agriculture and is a much needed element.
Further, there is requirement to ensure awareness amongst the masses on associated benefits of sustainable consumption.
Published on: 06/11/2013
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
