OCA secured high profits for organic farmers in Farm Programme in 2020

One of the major successes of OCA’s Farm Programme is that up to 95 per cent of the lint produced was procured by participating brands and retailers, OCA said in its 2020 annual report.

OCA’s Seed and Innovation Programme that saw the creation of OCA’s Non-GM Cottonseed Production Guidelines was also a success. The guidelines were made available to all seed producers who want to prevent GMO presence in their seed lots and enable seed producers across the globe to improve the integrity of the entire organic cotton value chain.

Launched in 2020 by its partners, a proficiency test to bring clarity to the laboratories that can perform GMO-testing against the international ISO reference protocol was another innovation milestone. Results from this proficiency test have been shared this year. OCA’s contribution to this GMO testing protocol will support efforts to ensure integrity in the Organic Cotton sector, as the protocol is currently being converted into an international standard, the report said.

Overall, the challenging circumstances in 2020 brought on by COVID-19 highlighted further the importance of collaboration required by the entire organic cotton supply chain to protect farmer livelihoods.

“Farmers will likely face challenges for many months to come but we have proven that we are agile and can adapt to new ways of working to safeguard their livelihoods and deliver against our mission, even under difficult circumstances," said Keith Tyrell, chair, OCA board of trustees.

As we continue to see increased demand for Organic Cotton globally, the continued growth and investment in our farm-centric programmes ensure that every participant benefits, whilst creating sustainable conditions for the sector to thrive, OCA said in the report.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)