Without a governmental extension, India plans to standardise its cotton trade strictly according to Indian Standard IS 12171: 2019. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has collaborated with ginners, merchants, and other vital stakeholders nationwide to implement the accompanying Quality Control Order (QCO) smoothly. Uncertainties exist in the business, however, since some players are unprepared and ignorant of the changes, potentially causing disruptions in the country’s cotton trade.
The textile ministry issued a notification on February 28, 2023, with a 180-day grace period. As a result, the restrictions will go into effect on September 1, 2023, coinciding with the start of the new cotton season in several regions of the nation.
However, the new selling season begins on October 1, 2023, indicating that the government intends to apply the new quality criteria to all cotton bales produced in the forthcoming harvest. Domestic trade will be subject to these regulations, whereas export-quality cotton will be free from the QCO.
The most recent cotton bale criteria, updated three times, state that garbage in medium and short-staple cotton, including Bengal Deshi, should not exceed 4%. However, depending on staple length, certain cotton types such as CJ-73, V-797, Kalagin, Waghad, and similar closed-boll cotton can contain up to 6% garbage. Extra-long staple cotton and long and superior medium-staple cotton may contain up to 3% garbage.
When tested, the moisture percentage of ginned cotton in a pressed bale should not exceed 8%. Other factors of cotton quality and packaging are also included in these criteria.
Officials from the BIS have been holding countrywide events to urge newcomers to register and prepare for the standard’s adoption. They have attempted to collect primary data from the ginners, but the procedure has been greeted with reluctance owing to uncertainty and current obstacles. “Numerous cotton varieties grown in the country have a very high trash percentage, with some reaching 12%,” Chetan Bhojani, a ginner from Gujarat, told Fibre2Fashion. We lack the essential apparatus to eliminate garbage and meet other standards, and investing in new equipment does not ensure increased revenues.”
In prior meetings, a representative from the Cotton Association of India (CAI) stated the necessity of cotton quality standards and the industry’s support for its implementation. He did, however, accept the possibility of first implementation challenges.
Satish Sharma, a cotton merchant in Bathinda, noted that the sector is now unprepared for the new criteria. According to industry analysts, the government may need to postpone implementation to avoid disruptions that might harm cotton farmers—an outcome the government cannot afford.
