State PCS - Rajasthan (RAS)

• 08 Oct 2025

World Cotton Day 2025

Why in News? 

Union Ministers Shri Giriraj Singh and Shri Pabitra Margherita attended the World Cotton Day 2025 celebration in New Delhi on 7th October.  

• The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Textiles and the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), with the theme "Cotton 2040: Technology, Climate & Competitiveness."

Key Points 

• About: World Cotton Day was established in 2019 when four cotton-producing countries in sub-Saharan Africa—Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mali, collectively known as the Cotton Four—proposed to the World Trade Organisation the idea of celebrating World Cotton Day on 7th October.  
• Objective: It aims to create awareness of the need for market access for cotton and cotton-related products from least developed countries, foster sustainable trade policies and enable developing countries to benefit more from every step of the cotton value chain. 
• Interesting Facts About Cotton: 
  • The top five cotton-producing countries are China, India, Brazil, the United States of America, and Pakistan, which together account for more than three-quarters of global production. 
    • India is the largest producer of cotton globally, accounting for 23% of total global cotton production. 
  • Cotton sustains about 24 million growers and benefits over 100 million families globally.  
  • Cotton is the second-most used fibre globally after polyester, making up approximately 20% of total fibre demand. 
  • Approximately 80% of cotton is used in apparel, with the remainder used in home textiles and industrial products. 
• Governance in India: The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), established in July 1970 under the Ministry of Textiles, stabilises cotton prices through price support measures and supports the domestic textile industry with commercial purchasing operations, especially during the lean season.