Speakers at the recently held International Cotton Advisory Committee's (ICAC) 73rd Plenary Meeting were of the opinion that, instrument testing of cotton lint will help farmers realise better prices and that it was imperative.
This opinion was in perfect sync with the theme of the plenary session – ‘Cotton Classification: A Vehicle for Standardization of Trading Practices’.
“The value of cotton lint is largely determined by its quality characteristics, and as a result, any ambiguity about the accuracy of that quality erodes the price that the fiber can command in the marketplace,” a press release of ICAC says.
Moses Bujaga of Wakefield Inspection Services spoke about the efforts of a joint initiative between Kenya and Mozambique to establish a national cotton classing system, with 100% sampling and high-volume instrument (HVI) testing of cotton.
“Once fully implemented, the additional quality assurance and transparency it offers would add value to the fiber and increase farmers' income,” he informed delegates at the seminar.
He however emphasized on the fact that machine is not merely about improvement, it's about survival, adding that "100% instrument testing of cotton can possibly be delayed, but is not avoidable.
James Knowlton of the USDA's Cotton Program was of the opinion that instrument testing of cotton is ‘here to stay’, because one can never maximize the value of cotton with hand-classing.
He said, “Buyers are willing to pay a premium of several cents per pound in exchange for the quality assurance provided by machine testing.”
"Instrument results add utility value to the cotton and when textile mills select bales, they need consistency as hand classing is not sufficient to provide that for today's high-speed, modern textile mills," he explained.
Dr. Mohammed Kasem Darawsheh of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization said, “The viability of textile cotton chain is dependent on effectiveness of the fiber in its end use, so all, including cotton producers, ginners and traders, should provide the end user with cotton, that has known quality parameters." (AR)
