Tribute to plant with potential to weave development

“A CONSTANT thread in our lives, from field to fabric,” so the UN Food and Agriculture Agency (FAO) described cotton on World Cotton Day which corresponded to October 7 this year. Over the centuries, cotton has constantly gained and maintained an economically and socially distinguished statues. It’s a crop, a natural fabric, yes, but its diverse and continuously modified uses have helped it retain an especially noticeable place on the map of human activities since ancient times – so much so that the United Nations General Assembly decided last year to declare October 7 every year a World Cotton Day. The move aimed mainly to highlight the contribution of the sustainable cotton sector to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and draw attention to the benefits of the cotton sector to national economies and the pivotal role it plays in not only in local socio-economic development but also in international trade; hence the worthiness of efforts to improve cotton seeds, upgrade its cultivation methods, modernise its industry and reinvigorate its trade. In apparel as well as in almost all household furnishings, cotton remains a principal component, probably the most important of all natural fabrics as so evaluated by the UN website. Edible oils, cotton-made or dependent multi-purpose threads, medical supplies, surgical and wound dressings, are just few of the many items of daily use other than apparel and furnishings. According to published FAO data, an estimated 100 million family farmers across 80 countries directly depend on the cotton industry for their livelihood, contributing some $50 billion to their economic support and generating nearly $20 billion in global trade.

Egypt’s story with cotton is widely believed to date back to the period between 2400 and 2600 BC as so indicated by hieroglyphic inscriptions.  Over the centuries, cotton seeds and flowers continued to be cultivated and used in Egypt. With the spread of the textile industry as of the middle of the 19th Century, Egyptian cotton, especially its extra-long staple grade, gained wide appeal abroad as it established its potential for industrial purposes, tolerating ginning and milling and processing the natural fabric into fine quality product. Moving to benefit from this estimable status of Egyptian cotton, the state has over the past years devoted noticeable attention to upgrading the entire cotton industry by means of a national strategy which involves the modernisation of the industry’s infrastructure, encouraging larger cultivation of the plant, invigorating cotton trade, promoting the growth of public and private sector textile manufacturing and facilitating the continuous training of the industries human resources. In addition, the strategy aims to increase the industry’s job-generating capacity, meeting the local market demand for cotton products and boosting the industry’s export potentials including through optimising the competitiveness of Egyptian cotton and textile production.

Also under this strategy, a special plan has been drafted for developing the Public Sector Business Ministry-affiliated spinning and weaving factories at an investment cost of more than LE23 billion. The plan provides for the modernisation of machines and equipment, undertaking construction works at production sites, automation of work systems and the training of employees. As such, the strategy ensures the integration of all components of the cotton industry, enabling it to function efficiently and competitively as aspired for under the Egypt’s Vision 2030, the country’s higher framework instrument for the achievement of comprehensive and sustainable development.