Piyush Goyal Announces 10-11 Cotton and Textile Testing Labs

The government plans to approve setting up 10-11 testing laboratories across the country to ensure high-quality cotton and textiles for domestic consumers and export markets, Union Minister Piyush Goyal announced on Saturday.

High-Quality Testing Labs

Goyal, the Union Minister for Textiles, Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food and Public Distribution, said he had discussed the matter with the Textile Ministry and the Consumer Affairs Department, who will collaborate with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to establish these labs.

In the next 15 days, by December 16, we will approve a series of laboratories across the country with an investment of about USD 6-7 million," he said.

Modern and High-Quality Labs

Addressing the four-day 81st Plenary Meeting of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) that started on Saturday, the minister emphasized the need for modern and high-quality testing labs across the country.

We want the most modern and high-quality testing laboratories to come up in different parts of the country so that we can ensure that right from the farm till it reaches the consumers, we will make sure that very high-quality textiles are available and are produced in India and are exported from India," Goyal said.

10-11 Labs in Different Parts of India

The government will initially roll out 10-11 laboratories in different parts of the country, seven of which will be hosted in the seven textile research associations and in another 3-4 locations covering the entire cotton-growing region.

These laboratories will be 100 percent funded by the central government to support the private sector, particularly the farmers, so that gradually they have the recognition for producing better quality cotton and they start getting a good value for their," the minister added.

Kasturi Cotton Bharat Brand

The minister also launched the Kasturi Cotton Bharat brand, a value-added premium quality cotton from the country with 100 percent traceability and certification.

The Kasturi Cotton Bharat brand is a private sector initiative with support from the government. With the launch and the efforts being done in the entire value chain, we are confident that India will take a prominent position globally in the textile value chain.

Going forward, Kasturi Cotton Bharat will be a symbol of high, assured, and world-class quality serving people across the world," he said.

USD 250 Billion Textile Industry by 2030

With collective efforts across the value chain and technology, the government is confident that the country's textile industry can become USD 250 billion by 2030, and textile exports can increase to USD 100 billion by 2030, the minister added.

ICAC Plenary Meeting in India

Meanwhile, the Plenary, which will commence on December 5, is attended by almost 400 delegates, including 300 foreign delegates from 35 countries across continents consisting of government representatives from various cotton-growing and consuming countries, industrialists, business delegates, scientists, and researchers.

This is also the fifth time that the ICAC Plenary Meeting was held in India in the last 60 years and the first one since Covid-19.