World Cotton Day: Know the History, Significance and Theme

Every year, World Cotton Day is celebrated on October 7th since 2019. This day is aimed to maximize the importance of cotton, ranging from its attributes as a natural fibre to the benefits people gain from its production, transformation, commerce, and consumption. World Cotton Day emphasizes the problems that the world’s cotton economies experience. 

History of the day 

In 2019, World Cotton Day was inaugurated in Geneva. The day was established by International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). On August 30, an official proposal was made to the United Nations General Assembly by the Cotton-4 nations, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mali, for the establishment of a World Cotton Day. The day is observed to underline the importance of cotton as a worldwide resource. The Bremen Cotton Exchange, as one of the world’s largest cotton organizations, also supported the idea of World Cotton Day. 

Significance of the day 

In India, Cotton is one of the most important commercial crops, offering a living for around 6.00 million cotton farmers. In 2020, India introduced its very first label and logo, "Kasturi Cotton" on the occasion of the second World Cotton Day. The trademark stands for brightness, whiteness, softness, shine, purity, and individuality. 

"India had also built the "Cott-Ally" smartphone application. Cotton Corporation of India developed the app to offer the most recent information on weather conditions, agricultural methods, and crop situations", reported News18. 

Theme of the day 

The theme for World Cotton Day 2021 is "There’s more to cotton than you think". This year the event will be organized virtually. Speakers from different countries will take part in it to make people aware of the importance of cotton.