Raw Cotton

Raw Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fibre that grows in a ball, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fibre is almost pure cellulose. Under natural condition, the cotton balls will tend to increase the dispersion of the seeds.

The fibre is most often spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile. The use of cotton for fabric is known to date to prehistoric times; fragments of cotton fabric dated from 5000 BC have been excavated in Mexico and the Indus Valley Civilization (modern day Pakistan). Although cultivated since antiquity, it was the invention of the cotton  that so lowered the cost of production that led to its widespread use, and it is the most widely used natural fibre cloth in clothing today.

Cotton ginning

Cotton is Roller or Saw Ginned depending on varieties and ginning practices. At the ginnery, cotton fibre is separated from seeds while preserving the quality of the cotton.In ginning, cotton is now dried, impurities removed (plant parts and field trash) and fibres straightened. Saw ginned cotton is more uniform and cleaner, and has higher productivity than roller ginned cotton.

Baling/Packaging

Hydraulic pressing machines are used to compress ginned cotton into bales of 160-170 kgs. These are wrapped in white cotton cloth with 10-12 plastic straps to hold the bale. A 1X40FCL container can load up to 150 bales and approximately25 tons of cotton.

Producers, Exporters & Importers

•  India has the second highest production and consumption of cotton in the world.
•  Cotton is one of the principal crops of the country and is the major raw material for the domestic textile industry.
•  India is the second largest exporter of Raw Cotton next to the US - the main world market being China.
•  Largest net importers of cotton include China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Indonesia.
•  India has one of the lowest Stock to Use Ratio in case of cotton, which is as high 39% in China, 21 in the US, 35% in Pakistan, 77% in Brazil and 26% in Turkey, as compared to 12% in case of India.