China Focuses on Developing Sustainable Cotton Industry

Sunday 11th of January 2009 11:53:46 PM

The Chinese army in its spotless uniforms make an impressive picture. The same is true of the agriculture industry in China with its huge farming operations. One of the growing agricultural industry segments is cotton. China is concentrating on developing a strategy for expanding the cotton textile industry while also joining the trend towards organic cotton growing methods.

China is a land with an ancient history and practices based in the belief we should maintain harmony with nature. The Chinese government has an initiative called “harmonious society” which focuses on achieving environmental harmony by the year 2020. Cotton is a major Chinese crop and there are over 100,000 cotton farmers. Therefore, the cotton industry is a major player in achieving the environmental harmony goals.

Cotton growing can have a major impact on the environmental on two levels. Cotton growing requires a lot of water and it also requires the use of pesticides to prevent crop damage from insects. In order to develop sustainable cotton production, farming techniques will need to focus on lowering the water requirement and converting to organic pesticides. China is having the same water problems as other countries with a water table that is steadily declining.

Chinese cotton exports have been growing steadily. The global garment industry has come to rely on Chinese cotton for the manufacturing of everything from printed t-shirts to promotional clothing and even high fashion. The Chinese cotton industry plans on increasing market growth in a number of ways. They include participating in the Better Cotton Initiative and giving tax breaks to farmers growing organic cotton. There are over 7,500 Chinese textile companies in operation now.

Around the world, cotton farming is undergoing a transition as the importance of using environmentally sound growing and manufacturing methods increases.