Lubbock, USA: Cotton is pre-sold on its comfort attributes. In addition, it has certain environmental benefits.
With planting in serious mode on the High Plains of Texas, stakeholders of the industry recently held discussions on planting and also on certain benefits of the natural fibre.
On an average about 20-30 per cent of acreage has been planted in the High Plains. In Lubbock County, 30 per cent of acres have been planted. “Rain fixes a lot of things,†stated Shelley Heinrich, a cotton producer, who farms about 3000 acres in South of Lubbock. With higher prices, producers are expected to plant more cotton acres. In High Plains, this year, 60 per cent of acreage will be dryland and 40 per cent will be irrigated.
While discussing the benefits of cotton, it is not only the comfort on which cotton is pre-sold, there are also environmental benefits. More and more consumers are aware of the problems caused due to the bioaccumulation of micro synthetics in marine lives and ocean floors. Cotton being biodegradable can be a natural alternative to address this issue.
Cotton’s natural benefits and improved manufacturing practices are enabling it to penetrate into high performance and active wear markets. The cotton sector needs to focus on imparting desirable functional characteristics to the fibre, without sacrificing its comfort to make it more attractive to these markets.
By: Seshadri Ramkumar, Texas Tech University, USA