Maharashtra charts roadmap to strengthen cotton value chain
Praveen Pardeshi, Chief Economic Advisor to CMO and CEO, MITRA, delivering a keynote address
Maharashtra’s cotton sector took a significant step towards enhancing its global competitiveness with a high-level workshop on “Enhancing Cotton Value Chain Development by Focusing on Quality, Productivity, Production, and Market Access” held at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Nagpur.
The one-day state-level workshop was jointly organised by the Balasaheb Thackrey Agribusiness & Rural Transformation (SMART) Project, MITRA – Maharashtra Institution for Transformation, Maharashtra Village Social Transformation Foundation (VSTF), Indo Cotton Development Association, Grant Thornton, and Palladium Consulting India Pvt Ltd. The event brought together government officials, industry leaders, farmer producer companies (FPCs), and textile stakeholders to shape a unified roadmap for sustainable cotton value chain development in Maharashtra.
Praveen Pardeshi, Chief Economic Advisor to CMO and CEO, MITRA, in his keynote address on “The Cotton Landscape in Maharashtra,” underscored the importance of aligning agronomic practices, contamination control, and market reforms to global benchmarks such as the Kasturi Cotton Bharat initiative — India’s national cotton quality and traceability program.
Promoting clean cotton
The technical sessions featured insights from leading organisations including the Welspun Group, Beetle Regen Solutions, RPG Foundation, ICAR-CICR, and TEXPROCIL. Discussions centred on improving seed uniformity, promoting clean cotton harvesting, and upgrading ginning infrastructure to meet global quality standards. Representatives from FPOs such as Kanchani FPCL and Green Agritech FPCL shared field success stories demonstrating how contamination-free cotton and consistent seed quality can secure premium prices and open new markets for farmers.
Breakout sessions at the workshop explored regenerative farming practices, contamination control, and traceable production systems, with Palladium leading discussions on sustainable agronomy and clean harvesting. Another session, led by CITI CDRA, MCX, and industry experts, focused on aligning production and ginning with international buyer standards, highlighting investment prospects, technological advancements, and supportive policy frameworks for modernization.
As international brands increasingly prioritise sustainable and traceable cotton sourcing, Maharashtra’s integrated approach — linking FPOs, modern ginning units, and premium buyers — positions the State to capture new export opportunities. The synergy between Better Cotton, Kasturi Bharat, and BIS certification frameworks is expected to enhance market credibility, improve quality standards, and boost farmer incomes.
The workshop concluded with a shared commitment to implement a three-year action plan focusing on developing seed homogeneity clusters, investing in modern ginning units, training farmers in best practices, and aligning production systems with global market requirements.
Published on October 13, 2025
