Cotton Development Board officials said that the annual demand for cotton in Bangladesh is around 85 lakh bales while Bangladesh can produce only 2 lakh bales of cotton. However, Bangladesh has set goals and outlined action plans to increase cotton production by nearly one-fifth by 2041.
Where does cotton come from in Bangladesh?
Cotton is a historical crop in Bangladesh. During the Mughal era, Muslin was considered a soft fabric around the world. The cotton this fabric came from was also produced in Dhaka and neighbouring areas – mainly on both sides of the Shitalakshya River. The name of the cotton trees was Footy Corpus. It is a variety of the Gossypium arboreum.
Does Bangladesh have a readymade garment sector?
Over the years, the readymade garment sector in Bangladesh has seen fast and massive growth. Currently, a total of 524 spinning mills are operating in the country and the annual demand for cotton for the spinning mills is 85 lakh bales. Of them, Bangladesh produced only 2 lakh bales of cotton.
Where is oil made from cotton?
The ginning factories separate cotton from seeds. The ginners later supply the cotton to the spinners. There is only one oil refinery in Bangladesh which is situated in Kushtia, where oil is made from cotton seeds. Fakhre Alam Ibne.
Why did Bangladesh set up the Cotton Development Board?
Bangladesh set up the Cotton Development Board in 1972 to meet the country’s demand to run the textiles at a time when Pakistan abruptly banned exports of cotton to Bangladesh soon after the Liberation War. Before the birth of Bangladesh, the textile mills in East Pakistan depended on cotton from West Pakistan.
Why did Pakistan stop exporting cotton to Bangladesh?
The artisans also lived in the area and weaved Muslin. There were many textile mills in East Pakistan during the Pakistan period. The cotton for these textile mills used to come from West Pakistan. However, after the War of Independence in 1971 and the birth of Bangladesh, Pakistan stopped exporting cotton to Bangladesh.