Bangladesh has set a target to increase five times the cotton production by 2030, introducing new varieties and increasing cultivation areas

Cotton, world’s one of the mostly valued agricultural product that grows in a boll which works as protective casing for the cotton fiber. Chemical composition of the fiber is mostly cellulose and some wax, pectins, fats are found as minor compound. Plentiful and economical production made the cotton fiber and cloths inexpensive. Known as white gold because of the profits earned while cultivating, fabric and yarn made from cotton can range really bulk fabric to the finest yarn to produce ‘Muslin’.  Fabric made from cotton are comfortable, breathable and durable thus earning the title of most comfortable fabric in the world.

Types of cotton cultivated

There are four commercially grown cotton species, they are:

Cultivation process

Problems and solutions:

Cotton is a plant that uses water substantially greater than other crops. Water footprint of cotton is somewhat larger than any other crops. Farmers take decision about the cultivation process whether they should use rainfall or irrigation process to cultivate cotton.

Perfect environment for cotton consists with plenty of sunshine, frost free weather and a moderate level of rainfall which are the characteristics of tropics and subtropics in the Northern and Southern hemisphere.

World’s view has changed ever since the technology has started to upgrade and people has started to find the ways of cultivation not depending on nature. Today’s largest cotton harvesting land is south plain, in US which uses irrigation water from Ogallala Aquifer.

Grey water footprint is the biggest problem that is faced during the cultivation process. Solution states that, reducing grey water footprint starts with the land preparation, planting, growing and harvesting.

Other problems are related with sustainable harvesting, high crop yielding, farmers pay back, limited resources etc. These problems can be solved through two cultivation process called organic and hybrid process which are different than conventional process of cultivation.

Organic process includes using pesticides and fertilizers that have originated from nature alongside biological pest control system, crop rotation, compost, etc. to control the ecological imbalance. This process ensures that the limited resources are used with utmost safety and proper planning. Reusable and sustainable products are used to keep the environment and water much cleaner than conventional cultivation.

Whereas hybrid process is a combined process of organic and conventional methods to resist pest that are harmful for the cotton plants. In this process seed selection, land preparation and fertilizer selection is also included. Reduction of chemical fertilizer and increased water efficiency is the landmark that can be achieved through this process. Nowadays farmers are using this kind of process because it is more in the favor of having good harvest.

Cotton cultivation in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, a land of agriculture and textile has been witnessing the revival of cotton cultivation because of the steps taken by the government to commercialize cotton fiber. Because of the high yielding nature, farmers located in the southern part of the country are interested in cultivating cotton. Cotton has the ability to fight against salt and drought which made the irrigation process easier for them.

Though the cotton fiber has a finer weight, the price is higher than other local crops. As Bangladesh is a country whose GDP is greatly depended on textile sector, cotton production can be one of the finest way to deal with the raw material scarcity.

"Cotton could be a major cash crop as we need to spend $3 billion every year for its import to meet its expanding demand in the textile industry," Cotton Development Board's (CDB) Additional Director Dr. Md Fakhre Alam Ibne Tabib.

Bangladesh spends more than 15% of the exporting income to import cotton from other regions. This created a problem and as per USDA, cotton import in Bangladesh will drop to 8 million marketing bale from 8.5 million in the 2022-2023 marketing year. This is due to the international price hike of raw cotton as well as internal low power supply.

These problems can be solved if the precautions are taken and as the government has taken step, the farmers are happily cultivating cotton with satisfaction. Farmers in Jessore district has got the highest yield in this fiscal year. Hybrid cotton seeds are distributed among them resulting in high yielding corps and also the alternative cultivation of other vegetables have created the hype to cultivate hybrid cotton.

Yielding rate of cotton is approximately 2,181 seers per acre this year. Raw cotton rate is 3,800 BDT per kg which was 3,600 BDT last year. Total 16635 hector field was estimated to cultivate the cotton crops. In the fiscal year 2021-2022, nearly 2 tons of hybrid cotton seed was circulated to the farmers. This estimation increased up to 3 tons with the success of last fiscal year. The cultivation process costs nearly 12,000 – 15,000 taka per 0.33 acre whereas the pay back is 50,000 to 60,000 taka.

The Cotton Development Board (CPD) is instructed with the task of conducting research, producing, distributing and marketing seeds, expanding cotton cultivation and distributing loans among farmers. Process optimization and increased utilization is the only way to fight back the recent problems created throughout the world. Producing our own raw material and decreasing import can save our foreign reserve when the price hike is ongoing.

The cotton board now runs 27 on-farm trials at 13 zones such as greater Jashore, greater Kushtia, Rajshahi, Bogura, Rangpur, Thakurgaon, Dhaka, Mymensingh and the three hill districts incorporating Khagrachari as part of their initiatives.

Cotton is mainly sown in the July-August period and harvested in between December and January and currently its cultivation is spread over 45,000 hectares. The figure was 31,500 hectares in 2009-10. Over the past one decade the production volume nearly doubled as it was less than 100,000 bales in 2009-10.

According to CDB officials, raw or seed cotton production was about 2,000kg per hectare in 2009-10 which now stands at 4,000kg per hectare with the introduction of high yielding and hybrid varieties.