With the Cotton Bales (Quality Control) Order coming into force from August 28, 2023, textile organizations and trade associations have started approaching the Ministry of Textiles to defer the implementation to a later date.
The order, known as the Cotton QCO (Quality Control Order), was notified by the Union Ministry of Textiles on February 28, which said it would come into force 180 days after its publication in the gazette. This applies to processed cotton (counted) and unprocessed or raw cotton (cotton).
The order laid down certain norms for the numbered cotton bales as well as the requirements for the materials used for packing the bales.
The QCO specifies that cotton bales should have a moisture content of 8 per cent. In this, ginning mills are required to test at least 5 percent of the bales, while the waste content in the bales should not exceed 3 percent.
According to K Venkatachalam, chief advisor to the Tamil Nadu Spinning Mills Association (TASMA), the QCO will apply to imported cotton as well and this could cause some "trouble".
“The signing of contracts for the import of cotton needs to be done very carefully,” he told BusinessLine.
TASMA President AP Appukutty, in a memorandum to Commerce and Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal, sought to defer the implementation of the QCO until a consensus is reached among all stakeholders in domestic and imported cotton.
He urged the minister to issue a specific order to exempt imports from this order as it would be re-exported by adding value in the form of quality yarn.
Appukutty said several members of TASMA have tied up with foreign shippers from countries like Australia, the US and West Africa to import cotton and these will reach Indian ports in the first or second week of September.
Besides, countries abroad have their own standards and it may be difficult for shippers to meet the standards, he added.
effect of weather on humidity
On Wednesday, the Cotton Association of India (CAI) wrote to Commerce and Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal urging him to defer the implementation of QCO for "minimum one or two years".
CAI President Atul Ganatra told Goyal that ginners would find it difficult to ensure 8 per cent moisture in cotton bales. This is because during October-December the moisture level in lint (processed cotton) will be 10-12 per cent, while in cotton (raw cotton) it will be 15-25 per cent.
The CAI President said that ginners are required to test 5 per cent of the bales but they lack adequate infrastructure for the same. Referring to the maximum limit of garbage content, he said that cotton from Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana has more than 4 per cent garbage.
Issue taken up with BIS
Similarly, considering the basic characteristics of the variety, the waste content in V-797 cotton is 12-15%. “Cotton is a natural product and hence, standardization of cotton parameters is extremely difficult to achieve,” Ganatra said.
He said the issue has also been taken up with the Bureau of Indian Standards and urged Goyal to hold discussions with his union.
On the other hand, the Karnataka Cotton Association (KCA) has written to JK Gupta, Scientist-E and Head (Textiles) at BIS, seeking a meeting between the Ministry of Textiles and ginners to clear and clarify "all confusion" around QCO. is of. ,
Association president Shantilal M Ostwal said the implementation of QCO should be postponed till proper testing infrastructure is available as there are only a few laboratories which are accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
'Implementation in APMC Yard'
He said that the ginning industry is ready to follow all the prescribed packaging requirements, but it is mandatory to implement the norms in the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yards from where the cotton is first procured.
Such an approach would ensure that the moisture level does not affect the quality parameters of the cotton. Ostaval said, "...it may not always be possible to achieve certain parameters due to inherent variations in raw materials."
The KCA president said that setting up a single and monopoly laboratory could lead to controversy. Therefore, sellers and buyers should mutually agree on the use of such laboratories and "refuse to resolve disputes to prevent disruptions in business operations".
He added that in the event of any ambiguity or uncertainty in the system, Jining Sector will be prepared to halt operations until all issues are clarified and resolved.
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