Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal held an interactive meeting with the newly constituted Textile Advisory Group at IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mumbai.

Goyal emphasized to do campaigns in farming areas to control sale of spurious illegal seeds. The core issue of Seed quality was deliberated in detail with dedicated action for current season.

The Joint Secretary, Seeds intimated that sufficient quantity of seed is available to meet the domestic requirement. Industry opined need to distinguish right from wrong types.

Goyal exhorted  that containment of factors impinging on productivity need to be tackled in time bound project mode manner and the industry should participate in self regulatory  mode.

The Ginning segment should take responsibility and  make pheromone trap technology mandatory to monitor and prevent spread of Pink Bollworm pest attack from Ginneries and oil extraction units to cotton crop in farmers’ fields.

He suggested that everyone be sensitized for compulsory use of pheromone trap technology through the wide network of the Cotton Corporation of India Ltd., combined with efforts of the State Governments in this regard. The Minister also urged the industry to develop models for improving Ginning efficiency and outturn.

Goyal also emphasized the need for protecting cotton crop from pink bollworm attack with contributions from Cotton Corporation of India Ltd., Cotton Association of India, Confederation of Indian Textile Industry and the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council.

Addressing the need of accuracy of statistics across the value chain to enable policy decision, trade facilitation, traceability etc., Goyal directed that a portal be created with inputs of Cotton Association, Ginners as well as Confederation of Indian Textile Industry & the Southern India Mills’ Association.

The portal to work on self-compliance mode. If persuation and self-compliance do not yield results then ‘disincentives’ can be built in the systems like Cotton Corporation of India Ltd., not to do any transactions with such defaulter and any Govt. benefits be linked to submission of details.

Upendra Prasad Singh, Secretary Textiles initiated deliberations with the Textile Advisory Group which has Senior Officials from the Union Ministries of Textiles, Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Commerce, Officials from Research and Development sector, Senior Official from the Cotton Corporation of India Ltd., and stakeholders, the official note of Union Ministry of Textile said on Monday.

The whole of textile value chain was represented in the consultations through lead associations and experts in the meeting.