Cotton Ginning Units Are in Need of Modernization in Order to Improve Quality of Cotton

Cotton ginning units in the southern Indian State of Andhra Pradesh are in need of modernization in order to improve the quality of cotton in the State as well as to increase production. Andhra Pradesh is the third largest cotton producer in India with around 800 ginning units, but only 100 of them have been modernized, according to KV Rao, Deputy Director, Textiles Committee, Union Ministry of Textiles. Mr. Rao stressed on the need for modernization of ginning units in the State, and cited Gujarat as an example to be enumerated. He said the State produces about 5.7 million bales of cotton and has several small-scale spinning industries. He added that a majority of the ginning units in the State, i. E. Around 450 units, are in Guntur district, but it has a very limited cotton pressing capacity. Around 10 percent of the overall cotton production is delivered in loose form, he added. He informed that the neighbouring States of Orissa and Tamil Nadu, too, do not have sufficient ginning and pressing capacities to meet the growing cotton production in those States. Hence, he emphasized on the need for setting up more ginning capacities in the State. TL Balakumar, Deputy Director, Regional Office of the Textile Commissioner (ROTXC), Bangalore said the Union Government has set aside Rs. 19.72 billion for the textile industry under the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS), which has a provision to give 15 percent subsidy for machinery upgradation. He revealed that only about one-third of TUFS fund has been utilized so far, and therefore, asked the ginning units in the State to avail the facility under the scheme to adopt latest machines and technology to improve production and increase efficiency. Source: fibre2fashion.com