India is the world’s second largest producer of cotton after China and cotton is one of the country’s most important crops.
India has been producing cotton for textiles for thousands of years, and today, some 5.8 million farmers make a living from growing cotton with tens of millions of people working in the cotton industry.
India was one of the first countries to implement the Better Cotton programme, with the first harvest of Better Cotton produced in 2011. It has the largest number of farmers participating in the programme and growing Better Cotton. India also has the largest area under cotton cultivation in the world – approximately 12,607 million hectares.
Cotton is one of the most important fiber and cash crop of India and plays a dominant role in the industrial and agricultural economy of the country. It provides the basic raw material (cotton fibre) to cotton textile industry. Cotton in India provides direct livelihood to 6 million farmers and about 40 -50 million people are employed in cotton trade and its processing.