The initiative, unveiled yesterday at the Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi, marks a pivotal step toward ensuring fair labour practices, social protection, and sustainable livelihoods for about 6.5 million cotton farmers, about 40 per cent of which are women. During the project, special emphasis will be given on small and marginal farmers and migrant labour engaged as cotton farmers with leased land.

Targeting the cotton-rich districts of Madhya Pradesh, this project seeks to empower small and marginal farmers by enhancing their awareness of worker rights, providing technical support for policy implementation, and improving access to crucial social protection schemes. A comprehensive booklet detailing government schemes available to farmers was also released during the launch. The programme will see such informative booklets and tutorials being provided to farmers, thus offering a vital resource for the cotton farming community.

India’s cotton supply chain is vast and complex, involving formal and informal sectors. The ILO’s “Promoting Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FPRW) in the cotton supply chain – Rise for Impact” project, which now enters its next phase in Madhya Pradesh, builds on the successes and lessons learned from its initial rollout in Telangana (2019-2022). This phase aligns with CITI-CDRA’s ongoing efforts under the special project on cotton, ensuring that FPRW basic principles are woven into the fabric of daily agricultural practices, CITI said in a press release.

Key Initiatives and Impact

The CITI-ILO collaboration will drive several key initiatives with the below-given objectives:

-Cotton growing communities are better aware and empowered to realize FPRW

-Responsible institutions/constituents and stakeholders able to ensure FPRW

-Stakeholders have better access to knowledge and tools to promote FPRW

The launch event in Delhi was attended by senior government officials, industry leaders, trade unions, agriculture scientists, etc. The project marked the beginning of the Training of Trainers programmes held at Indore with the participation of about 30 trainers who will be imparting training on FPRW for the next 1 year of the project.

During the event, secretary general CITI, Chandrima Chatterjee, said in her opening remarks, “This collaboration between CITI and the ILO is a significant stride towards creating a fair and equitable environment for our cotton farmers. By promoting FPRW, we aim to ensure that these hardworking individuals are recognised, respected, and able to thrive within the global supply chain.”

Executive director, TEXPROCIL, Dr. Siddhartha Rajagopal shared the need and strategies for strengthening cotton value chain through a strong farm sector while Insaf Nizam, FPRW specialist, ILO DWT for South Asia and CO for India, stressed the importance of grassroots empowerment: “Empowering smallholders with knowledge of their rights is essential to achieving decent work in the cotton sector. This project is designed to bring these principles to life, impacting thousands of farmers across Madhya Pradesh.”

Speaking on the collaboration, chairman-CITI, Rakesh Mehra cited, “The cotton we cultivate not only supports our domestic industry but also feeds into the global textile industry, influencing markets and economies worldwide. By ensuring that our cotton is produced under fair and dignified conditions, we not only uplift our farmers but also enhance the reputation of Indian cotton on the global stage.”

“For last 54 years, CITI through its extension arm, Cotton Development and Research Association (CDRA), has been working for improving yield and quality of cotton by creating awareness on the best agronomics practices as also equipping farmers with the latest technologies on production, plant protection and nutrient management. Throughout its journey, CITI-CDRA has been able to positively impact cotton productivity, farmer income, soil health and better market linkage,” said T Rajkumar, chairman - CITI Standing Committee on Cotton.

This partnership between CITI and ILO represents a significant milestone in pursuing decent work and sustainable livelihoods for India’s cotton farmers and has come at a critical time when the industry is facing various challenges. Key stakeholders applauded the efforts of CITI and ILO in this direction.

By focusing on Madhya Pradesh—a critical region for cotton production—the project will set a new standard for national and global efforts to promote Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work not in just cotton cultivation but across the entire agricultural sector.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)