Cotton plantation drive launched in Manipur

Our Correspondent
Imphal, March 14 (EMN): In a move to revive the only spinning mill for cotton yarning in northeast India and to promote handloom production, the first ever cotton plantation was launched in Manipur’s border areas.
Manipur Commerce, Textiles and Industries Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh accompanied by officials from Handloom and Textiles department formally launched the plantation programme at Kwatha village under Tengnoupal district bordering Myanmar on March 13.
The step has been taken up considering the suitability of the soil and its environment for the cotton cultivation in and around the Kwatha village, located about 100 km south of Imphal, on the road side of Imphal-Moreh route.
Speaking on the launching programme of the plantation drive, Minister Biswajit said that the cotton plantation will help in reducing unemployment and provide jobs to the local farmers while improving the economy of the village.
Stating that Kwatha village is suitable for cotton plantation as the germination process takes lesser time compared to the standard time, he said that the plantation will also help in reviving the spinning mill of the state while adding that the cotton plantation will be successful as there are plans to buy back the cotton from the farmers. The unused spinning mills at Loitang Khunou in Imphal West district is the only spinning mill for cotton yarning in northeast India.
Informing that the state government is committed to serve the poorest of the poor and the needy, he also said that the bamboo-shoot products such as Soibum, a fermented form of bamboo shoot needs better packaging to attract buyers which will improve the economic condition of the village.
Also, Biswajit Singh urged the villagers to take advantage of the various social schemes- Ujaala Yojana, Saubhagya Yojana, etc. launched by the government which had achieved to bridge the gap between the hills and the valley up to some extent.
The ongoing cotton plantation drive being the pilot project, the cotton seeds will be provided free of cost for one hectare each household, according to Lamlee Kamei, Director, Handloom and Textiles while highlighting the benefits of cotton plantation.
The state government had reportedly planned cotton plantation in and around Kwatha village under Tengnoupal district and Bangai range of Jiribam district under a separate budget (INR 2 crore) as a pilot project to increase handloom production by providing cotton subsidy for weavers and also to revive the unused spinning mills.
There are 2.04 lakh weavers and 1.9 lakh loom owners in Manipur, which is the highest concentration in the country. Once the project is successful, the state even had a plan to export cotton and synthetic yarns by 2020. Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan are the top cotton producing states of the country.