Apparel Online India Magazine June 1st Issue 2018 | Page 16

SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVE APPAREL RESOURCES NEWSLETTERS FACEBOOK FRIENDS To subscribe, send us an email at [email protected] Join more than 10,000 people who are already fans of Apparel Resources on facebook. Search for Apparel Resources at https://www.facebook.com/apparelresources/ Session on Collaborative Industry Approach (L to R): Anita Chester, Head of Sustainable Raw Materials, C&A Foundation; Crispin Argento, Executive Director, OCA; Sabrina Müller, Senior Sustainability Manager (Product and Brand); Merel Krebbers, Material Integrity Specialist of H&M; Gagan Kapoor, Global Cotton Supply Chain Responsible, H&M; Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, MD, Mandi Board, GoMP; Carly Thomas, Ethical Trading Manager of Superdry, Tchibo; and Rohit Doshi, Director of Mahima Fibres Pvt. Ltd. Incentives to the farmers during the conversion period is important, as converting a conventional land to organic land takes three to four years and during that period whatever is produced has to be incentivized, otherwise farmers get demotivated. Government Commitment “We are proud of Madhya Pradesh’s achievements in spearheading the organic cotton revolution and aim to increase organic cotton farming from 30,000 to 75,000 hectares in the next 3 years. To further reinforce the organic cotton initiative, the Government of Madhya Pradesh has sanctioned at least 100 organic cotton clusters under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY). In a bid to further strengthen research through the state agriculture universities, the state has also established a pesticides residue testing centre to improve quality of exports. In addition, we are establishing India’s first dedicated Centre of Excellence for organic research centre in Mandla and organic cotton research in Khandwa. Soon, Madhya Pradesh will become the first state in India with a dedicated agriculture produce and export promotion agency that will also boost organic cotton export. We strongly believe that these steps would be key enablers in overcoming the barriers to organic cotton cultivation, addressing agricultural concerns for farmers, in a sustainable manner.” – Dr. Rajesh Rajora, Hon’ble Principal Secretary, Department of Farmer Welfare & Agriculture Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh stakeholders to turn the industry around. Even the representatives of the State Government were straight forward in their approach and did not avoid even the most difficult of questions from the audience and panel. Sharing a proposal to improve traceability in this complex organic chain, Dr. Tarun Bajaj, General Manager of Agriculture & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India emphasised that there is a need to build an end-to-end integrity and traceability tool from farm to finished product under the control of the Government. “It is important to have a chain of custody for traceability,” said Dr. Bajaj. His recommendations included – bringing organic textile processing under National Programme for Organic Production (not as a separate programme); processing standards to be defined in consultation with industry; traceability to be monitored through verification of all stages; movement of goods with transaction certificate; and facilitating the use of an ‘India 16 Apparel Online India | JUNE 1-15, 2018 | www.apparelresources.com Organic’ logo as a symbol of trust on final produce. It was also emphasised that though the Government was more than ready to support the cause, the industry and various organisations also need to be transparent for the change to happen. “We need data to help the farmers… How can we give funds or even make policies without proper and reliable data?” reasoned Mohan Lal, Director of Farmer Welfare & Agriculture Development, Government of MP. The commitment of the department was aptly demonstrated by the views shared by Dr. Rajesh Rajora, Principal Secretary, Farmer Welfare & Agriculture Development, Government of MP. “MP is a big player in organic cultivation and with the efforts of all the organisations and stakeholders, I feel that we would be able to make a change,” he said. Dr. Rajora broke down the organic challenge into four areas – firstly R&D; second the Extension; third Certification; and lastly, Marketing. Each of them is intertwined and interdependent and very complex individually, though they may sound very simplistic, he emphasised. “We