MYANMAR Cotton and Cotton Products Merchants and Manufacturers Association has been connecting with India and Uzbekistan to get access to cotton varieties that are resilient to weather changes and engineered to withstand high temperatures and diseases, maintaining high yields with a fairer price.
There is a large price gap between premium cotton and non-premium cotton. Therefore, cotton growers need to grow premium pedigree cotton for commercial benefits. If they grow whatever, they might experience low yield and high risks. Cotton ginners also need to maintain quality control, and so, cotton ginners must prioritize cleanliness and systematic operations to ensure product quality, minimize waste and maintain a safe working environment, the association stated.
“When growers neglect cottonseed consistency, their efforts will be fruitless. Ginners need to maintain quality by categorizing the cotton varieties and processing systematic operations. This way, nothing will go in vain. If not, the time, energy and resources that they put into cotton cultivation and production will be wasted. Later, it might affect the cotton-based industry, resulting in other negative consequences,” said a representative of the association.
The association has already informed the department concerned of this. It will coordinate matters for the growers to get access to high-yielding cotton varieties and achieve good prices.
International Federation of Business Intellectuals and Changemakers (IFBIC), on behalf of OOO Farms located in Rajkot, Gujarat State, India, expressed willingness to collaborate for high-yielding cotton access. The Myanmar Cotton and Cotton Products Merchants and Manufacturers Association held a Zoom meeting on 14 August with counterparts regarding that matter, the Myanmar Trade Promotion Organization under the Ministry of Commerce stated.
Moreover, Uzbekistan also informed Myanmar that the Agriculture Department wants to deliver pest-free high-yielding cotton varieties to Myanmar, according to MyanTrade’s notification dated 7 August.
The Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Myanmar Cotton and Cotton Products Merchants and Manufacturers Association have sent the list of premium cotton varieties to the department concerned for further processing. — NN/KK
