Date: 2026-05-05Category: Press ReleaseState: Union GovernmentCountry: India
Cabinet approves “Mission for Cotton Productivity” with Rs.5659.22 crore Outlay for Self-Sufficiency in Cotton and Competitiveness in Global Textile Markets by 2030-31
**Executive Summary**
The Union Cabinet has approved the "Mission for Cotton Productivity" for the period 2026–27 to 2030–31, with a total financial outlay of Rs. 5,659.22 crore. The mission aims to achieve self-sufficiency in cotton and enhance India’s global competitiveness by addressing declining growth and quality concerns. Key targets include increasing lint productivity from 440 kg/ha to 755 kg/ha and producing 498 lakh bales by 2031.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Seed and Technology Development**
* Development of high-yielding (HYV), climate-resilient, and pest-resistant seeds.
* Upscaling modern production technologies, including High Density Planting Systems (HDPS) and Closer Spacing (CS).
* Promotion of Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton and integrated cotton management.
**Infrastructure and Quality Enhancement**
* Modernization of 2,000 ginning and processing factories to adopt best practices and reduce trash content to less than 2%.
* Strengthening national cotton testing infrastructure through standardized and accredited facilities for global benchmarking.
* Capacity building focused on ensuring a contaminant-free cotton supply for the industry.
**Market Integration and Branding**
* Robust branding and traceability initiatives under the "Kasturi Cotton Bharat" label to position Indian cotton as a premium product.
* Digital integration of market yards (mandis) to enable transparent price discovery and direct market access via e-platforms.
**Sustainability and Diversification**
* Promotion of cotton waste recycling and circular economy practices to increase resource efficiency.
* Diversification of the national fiber base to include natural fibers such as flax, ramie, sisal, milkweed, bamboo, and banana.
**Implementation Framework**
* Joint implementation by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and the Ministry of Textiles.
* Collaboration involving 10 ICAR institutes, one CSIR institute, and 10 AICRP centers across 140 districts in 14 major cotton-growing states.
**Impact Analysis**
**Farmers**
**Impact**
Approximately 32 lakh farmers will benefit from increased productivity, improved price realization through digital mandis, and access to resilient seed varieties.
**Action Required**
Adopt high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds and transition to modern farming techniques like HDPS and closer spacing.
**Ginning and Processing Factories**
**Impact**
Modernization of 2,000 units will lead to improved lint quality, reduced contamination, and alignment with global processing standards.
**Action Required**
Upgrade machinery and facilities to meet new quality benchmarks and achieve trash reduction targets of <2%.
**State Departments and Research Institutes (ICAR/CSIR/SAUs)**
**Impact**
These bodies are tasked with the large-scale deployment of technologies and the development of new seed varieties across 140 focused districts.
**Action Required**
Coordinate technology transfer, conduct farmer training programs, and strengthen local testing and certification infrastructure.
**Textile Industry and Exporters**
**Impact**
The industry will gain a steady supply of high-quality, traceable "Kasturi Cotton Bharat" and diversified natural fibers to meet evolving global demand.
**Action Required**
Integrate sustainable fibers into production lines and utilize the traceability framework for global marketing.
Key Entities Referenced
Mission for Cotton Productivity: A central scheme with a Rs. 5659.22 crore outlay (2026–27 to 2030–31) designed to achieve self-sufficiency in cotton and enhance competitiveness in global textile markets.
Kasturi Cotton Bharat: A specific branding and traceability initiative under the Mission aimed at positioning Indian cotton as a premium, sustainable, and globally trusted product.
5F vision: The Government of India's strategic framework (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign) that guides the Mission's objectives across the entire textile value chain.
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare: A primary implementing body responsible for seed development, technology upscaling through ICAR, and digital integration of market yards for farmers.
Ministry of Textiles: A key implementing ministry focused on the modernization of ginning and processing factories, cotton testing infrastructure, and global branding initiatives.
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
Cabinet approves “Mission for Cotton
Productivity” with Rs.5659.22 crore Outlay for
Self-Sufficiency in Cotton and Competitiveness
in Global Textile Markets by 2030-31
Posted On: 05 MAY 2026 7:04PM by PIB Delhi
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved Rs.5659.22 crore for
Mission for Cotton Productivity (2026–27 to 2030–31) to address bottlenecks, declining growth, and
quality concerns in India’s cotton sector.
The mission aligns with the 5F vision (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign) of Government of
India. The Mission focuses on enhancing cotton productivity through development of High yielding
variety (HYV) seeds resistant to disease and pests, scaling up of existing and latest crop production
technologies through states governments, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and State Agricultural Universities
(SAUs) through large-scale promotion and adoption of latest crop production technologies, ensures least
contaminant cotton supply to industry, and promote high-quality cotton exports with focus on the
following major aspects:
Development of High-yielding, climate resilient, pest-resistant seeds, and other production/protection
technologies
Upscaling improved cotton production technologies like High Density Planting System (HDPS), Closer
Spacing (CS), Integrated Cotton Management, and promotion of Extra Long Staple (ELS) Cotton
Augmenting quality of cotton through capacity building and promoting modernization of ginning and
processing factories, including adoption of best processing practices.
Strengthening cotton testing infrastructure across the country with modern, standardized, and accredited
facilities to ensure reliable quality assessment and global benchmarking.
Robust branding and traceability initiatives under Kasturi Cotton Bharat to position Indian cotton as a
premium, sustainable, and globally trusted product.
Empowering farmers through digital integration of market yards (mandis), enabling transparent price
discovery, direct market access, and improved realization through e-platforms
Promotion of cotton waste recycling and circular economy practices to enhance resource efficiency,
reduce environmental footprint, and generate additional value streams for the industry
Diversification of India’s fibre base by including natural fibres like flax, ramie, sisal, milkweed, bamboo
and banana and advancement of environmentally sustainable textile production and innovations. Its
strategic integration and promotion to complement cotton and align India’s textile sector with evolving
global demand patterns.
The Mission will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Ministry of
Textiles, involving 10 institutes of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), one institute of
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and 10 centres of All India Coordinated Research
Project (AICRPs) on Cotton operating in different State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) of major cottongrowing states. Initially, 140 districts will be focussed in 14 States through State Department of
Agriculture and ICAR for upscaling the technologies and 2000 ginning/ processing factories.
Development of high-yielding climate resistant and pest-resistant seeds, deploy modern farming
technologies, farmer training, quality improvement, traceability, and strengthening infrastructure by
promoting sustainable fibres and innovation across the cotton value chain.
The Mission envisages to accomplish the production of 498 lakh bales (170 kg lint each) of cotton by
enhancing lint productivity from 440 kg/ha to 755 kg/ha by 2031. Approximately 32 lakh farmers will be
benefitted leading to self-reliance. Promotion of Kasturi Cotton Bharat for traceability and certification,
targeting trash reduction <2% and promotion of natural fibres like flax, ramie, sisal, milkweed, bamboo
and banana. This is a milestone in making the country self-reliant in Cotton Sector.
***
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