Russia has a long history with cotton, which is a key fiber for the country’s textile industry. To celebrate World Cotton Day 2020, a major international event is held in a leading cotton-producing region in the south of Russia. Sustainable production, innovation and international cooperation are at the heart of this celebration.
On World Cotton Day 2020 the Russian Federation holds the international conference «Innovation in Cotton Cultivation: Achievements and Prospects». The conference is organized by Volgograd State Agrarian University – a key knowledge center in one of the leading agricultural regions.
The meeting gathers delegates from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, the United States, India, Saudi Arabia, China, Syria, Egypt and other countries. Such a large-scale event is held in Russia for the first time.
The conference aims to collect the latest thinking on all of the main prerequisites of balanced cotton production in a country: scientific research, seed production and agricultural technologies, administrative and organizational approaches and the legal framework. The conference will also touch upon the global trends in cotton farming, such as innovations in crop protection, sustainable water use and digital technologies.
The conference can be accessed online via the link (RUS).
Cotton in Russia is considered the main natural spinning fiber for the textile industry and accounts for about 40% of all textile raw materials. Due to the high importance of cotton in the economy, domestic production of cotton is a prospective niche. Gross harvest in 2019 was 226 ton while the demand is estimated to be 10 times higher (240-250 thousand ton per year) and forecasted to grow.
Despite the climate constraints, agricultural producers in the southern regions of Russia have an interest in cultivating cotton and there is potential for its expansion in the future. Cotton cultivation in Russia is concentrated in regions with a temperate continental climate (Stavropol, Astrakhan and Volgograd regions).
Large-scale cotton growing program is being developed in the Stavropol region. The agricultural enterprise Tersky implements a project for land irrigation, cultivation and processing of cotton and there are plans to build another plant for the primary cotton processing.
The development of cotton industry in the Volgograd region is driven by the research carried out at the Volgograd State Agrarian University, that has resulted in the development of high-quality fiber grades that can be grown even on light chestnut soils of the South of Russia.
The Russian Federation (the Soviet Union) has been a member of the ICAC for over 80 years since its foundation in 1939.
The Russian Federation highly appreciates ICAC’s contribution to the sustainable development of the global cotton market over time, including the outreach activities aimed at raising awareness on the importance of cotton.
Russia’s contacts with ICAC are managed by the Ministry of Economic Development. Any requests may be addressed here.