Problems and Prospects of Cotton Textile Industry in India Clothing and textiles have been important in human history

and reflects the materials available to a civilization as well as the technologies that it has mastered. The social significance of the finished product reflects their culture.

History Cotton fibre were discovered more than 4000 years ago in Coastal Peru and at Mohanjodaro in the Indus Valley. Cotton has played a vital role in updating Indian economy in evolution of human ethical, moral & cultural values. In the 1600s, European explorers discovered that cotton plants were also being grown and used in the Americas. These newly discovered species were introduced to Africa in the 18th century and later spread to India and Pakistan, where they replaced traditional cultivars. By the end of the 19th century, Britain began manufacturing its own cotton textiles using raw material from American rather than India sources. India struggled to compete because its production was unmechanised and relied on a large labour force. India, instead of exporting cotton goods, became the largest importer of British cotton textiles. A virtual collapse of the European cotton industries in the second half of the 20th century led to a revival in India of both hand- and machine-woven fabrics. The growth of India's mechanised cotton industry was slow to develop, but political movements and the rise of Mahatma Ghandi empowered the people of India.

Scenario of Cotton Production: Cotton production in India Cotton is an immensely important crop for the sustainable economy of India and livelihood of the Indian farming community. It is cultivated in about 32.0 M hectares across the world and in about 10.0 M hectares in India. India accounts for about 32% of the global cotton area and contributes to 21% of the global cotton produce, currently ranking second after China. Indias contribution to global cotton production increased from 14% in 2002 to 20.5% in 2007. The production increased from a meager 2.3 M bales (170 kg lint/bale) in 1947-48 to a previous record production of 17.6 M bales in 1996-97 and an all time highest record of 31.5 M bales

during 2007-08 and 2010-11. Cotton contributes about 65% of the total raw material needs of textile industry in India. Cotton and Textile exports account for nearly one-third of total foreign exchange earnings of India, each year at an estimate of Rs.750 billion in 2007. Cotton in India is grown in varied soils, climates, and agricultural practices under irrigated and rainfed situations. Approximately 65% of Indias cotton is produced under rainfed conditions and 35% on irrigated lands. It is cultivated in three distinct agro-ecological zones (north, central and south) of the country. The northern zone is almost totally irrigated, while the percentage of irrigated area is much lower in the central (23%) and southern zones (40%).