NEW DELHI, June 16 (UNI) The government today approved increasingthe overall target under Mini Missions-III and IV of theTechnology Mission on Cotton (TMC) to development of 250 marketyards, modernisation of 1000 ginning and Pressing factories with newbale press and installation of 200 grading laboratories.
The target approval would be without any change in the existing funding pattern and other parameters, Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
This would help in production of contamination-free cotton for use by domestic textiles industry as well as for export.
India is the third largest cotton producer in the world after China and the US.
However, apart from inconsistent production and low productivity, low yield and high input costs have made Indian cotton costly and one of the most contaminated.
The Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC) was launched in February 2000 to improve fibre attributes, reduce contamination and cost of cultivation and increase productivity.
The Mission comprises four mini-missions with objectives of research, dissemination of technology to growers, improvement in market infrastructure and modernisation of ginning and pressing factories.
