National Ministry of Textiles Empowers Ginners to Produce Kasturi Cotton Bharat Brand

The Ministry of Textiles' Kasturi Cotton Bharat program is a pioneering initiative in the traceability, certification, and branding of Indian cotton. This initiative, aimed at enhancing the quality and marketability of Indian cotton, leverages blockchain technology for comprehensive traceability.

The Kasturi Bharat initiative, a collaborative effort between the Government of India, trade bodies, and industry, was formalized with a budgetary support of Rs. 30 crore, including Rs. 15 crore from trade and industry bodies. This collaboration was established through a Memorandum of Understanding signed on December 15, 2022, between the Cotton Corporation of India, representing the Ministry of Textiles, and The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council.

To ensure complete traceability of Kasturi Cotton Bharat tagged bales across the supply chain, QR-based certification technology is employed at each processing stage. A blockchain-based software platform provides end-to-end traceability and transaction certificates. A dedicated microsite with QR code verification and blockchain technology has been developed for this purpose.

The Kasturi Cotton Bharat program operates at the national level, with promotions made on both national and international platforms. Consequently, fund allocation is not state-specific.

The implementation of blockchain technology under the Kasturi Cotton Bharat program is designed to benefit stakeholders across the entire Indian cotton value chain, including those in Andhra Pradesh. All ginners in the country, including those in Andhra Pradesh, have been empowered to produce the Kasturi Cotton Bharat brand according to stipulated protocols. To date, 343 modernized ginning and pressing units, including 15 units in Andhra Pradesh, have registered for the Kasturi Cotton initiative, with approximately 100 bales from Andhra Pradesh certified under the Kasturi Cotton Bharat brand.