NEWS – The Ministry of Textiles has empowered cotton ginners across the country to produce the Kasturi Cotton Bharat brand, based on the QR code certification technology, as per stipulated protocol.

HIGHLIGHTS

– Kasturi Cotton Bharat Program

    – Ensures quality and traceability of cotton

    – Certification and branding of Indian cotton

    – Collaborative effort between government, trade bodies, and industry

– Registration and Certification

    – 343 modernized ginning and pressing units registered

    – 100 bales of Andhra Pradesh cotton certified under Kasturi Cotton Bharat brand

– Kasturi Bharat Initiative

    – Formalized through MoU between Cotton Corporation of India and Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council

    – Budgetary support of Rs 30 crore, including Rs 15 crore from trade and industry bodies

– Traceability and Certification

    – QR-based certification technology used at each stage

    – Blockchain-based software platform for end-to-end traceability and transaction certificates

GINNING PROCESS

    – Cleaning cotton by removing seeds and waste matter

    – Drying cotton to remove moisture before cleaning

– Importance of Ginning

    – Crucial step in spinning process

    – Separation of seed, lint, and foreign particles

    – Traditionally done by hand, now done by machines