The import duty on cotton in India has had an impact on shipment of Supima cotton to India, said Marc Lewkowitz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Supima. Mr. Lewkowitz, who was in Coimbatore on Monday to take part in the Cotton Day 2023 programme organised by Cotton USA, told The Hindu that the duty was a disincentive for brands that wanted to source products made of Supima cotton in India.
The production of Suvin (Indian extra long staple cotton) is very less and there is nothing (in India) to protect by imposing duty on Supima, the extra long staple U.S. cotton. The duty is taking away opportunities for Indian textile mills, he said.
Globally, there is a shortage in availability of extra long staple cotton this year, he added.
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and Supima have collaborated to deliver supply chain traceability and to provide access to farm-level, science-based data. In the first four months of its launch, the project has 17,000 tonnes of fibre details uploaded, which is positive and encouraging, he said.
Published - December 11, 2023 07:14 pm IST
