Interviews
Famed long staple cotton losing sheen
07 Oct '09
2 min read
Egypt, which has a tradition of cotton production going back to many centuries, is now losing its sheen among the farmers of the country, due to the uncertainty in prices and rising cost of production in the last few years.
Egypt was and is still famous for its extra long staple fibre of cotton and manufacturers of ultra-fine cotton fabrics and clothing prefer to produce the same from the famed white gold of Egypt.
But, now the cotton farmers have started shifting to other remunerative crops. Cotton production has now touched it's lowest in over a century. Cotton farmers are now demanding subsidies, like those available to farmers in other countries.
The liberalisation of the cotton trade in 2004, first brought in its first set of troubles and the global financial crisis, which unfolded last year, broke its back, leading to a drop in demand for Egyptian cotton, which in turn has also led to less crop being planted in the current cotton year.
Cotton crop production in Egypt has fallen by a staggering 54 percent, when compared with that a year ago. The land under cotton cultivation has shrunk in recent years from 275,000 hectares in 2007 to around 158,000 hectares in 2008.
The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) also announced that usage of cotton declined by 12 percent globally in 2008-2009. Experts have advise the government to intervene and stop the rot in the famed white gold of the country.
Egypt was and is still famous for its extra long staple fibre of cotton and manufacturers of ultra-fine cotton fabrics and clothing prefer to produce the same from the famed white gold of Egypt.
But, now the cotton farmers have started shifting to other remunerative crops. Cotton production has now touched it's lowest in over a century. Cotton farmers are now demanding subsidies, like those available to farmers in other countries.
The liberalisation of the cotton trade in 2004, first brought in its first set of troubles and the global financial crisis, which unfolded last year, broke its back, leading to a drop in demand for Egyptian cotton, which in turn has also led to less crop being planted in the current cotton year.
Cotton crop production in Egypt has fallen by a staggering 54 percent, when compared with that a year ago. The land under cotton cultivation has shrunk in recent years from 275,000 hectares in 2007 to around 158,000 hectares in 2008.
The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) also announced that usage of cotton declined by 12 percent globally in 2008-2009. Experts have advise the government to intervene and stop the rot in the famed white gold of the country.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
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