It is immensely hopeful and inspiring that Bangladesh has just developed a new cotton variety that has the potential to cut import dependency and increase domestic production, as the new variant is high-yield, drought-tolerant, and disease-resistant. It also has shorter maturity, adding to its commercial utility.
The development of the new cotton -- named CDB Tula 1 -- comes at a crucial time for Bangladesh. Currently, the country produces a small fragment -- a mere 3-4% -- of its yearly demand, making Bangladesh the world’s top importer of cotton.
That is extremely significant, and it goes without saying that any amount of easing on the current burden will have a tremendous positive impact on the country’s agriculture and economy.
This also shows the importance of new innovation by state-owned agricultural agencies and collaboration with international partners, as the new variety was developed through a collaboration between the Cotton Development Board (CDB) under the Agriculture Ministry, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
CDB now aims to meet at least 10-15% of the country’s cotton fibre needs from growing high yielding cotton varieties, which includes the recently developed CDB Tula 1.
The importance of cotton is multi-faceted and not least because the country’s largest export, ready-made garments products, are so reliant on cotton. According to an April 2021 report by the United States Department of Agriculture, Bangladesh has 433 spinning mills, 796 textile weaving mills, 246 dyeing and finishing mills, and about 6,502 registered and 527 un-registered garment and textile factories, all of which will benefit from an increase in cotton production.
The authorities should provide all the necessary policy support to back the CDB’s goal of increasing cotton production, which will eventually help Bangladesh move one step ahead toward becoming a developed economy.