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| REINHART |
| www.reinhart.com |
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In Uganda, many of the small farmers produce organic cotton by default. Cultivating organic cotton is a good opportunity to generate a higher income as the yields remain basically unchanged with a premium obtained on the selling price. Farming techniques can be improved in general, leading to positive spillover effects on the food crops.
The cotton is handpicked and roller ginned. The staple is 1.1/8”. Micronaire ranges between 3.5 and 4.5, and strength is 28 gpt (HVI). |
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Growing organically is a tradition existing in many agricultural products and the following of these techniques has a long history in Turkey. Cotton has been produced organically for many years. Turkey is well-known as the largest organic cotton exporter in the world. The major production areas are in the Southeast (Hatay and Urfa areas) and extend into West Turkey (Izmir area).
All cotton is handpicked and roller ginned. The staple is from 1.1/8” to 1.3/16”, micronaire ranges from 3.8 to 4.9 and strength is 28 gpt (HVI) and higher.
Production sites are all certified by Control Union Certifications. Reinhart is working closely with all organic cotton producers in Turkey. |
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Organic agricultural production is of high importance to India and cotton plays a key role in the country’s move towards increasing organic production. India has become the largest producer of organic cotton in 2007/08, improving the livelihood of thousands of farmers. A large part of its production is consumed by local spinning mills. The established organic cotton production areas are mainly in the central zone of India, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, with new projects having been launched in other areas.
All cotton is handpicked and roller ginned. The staple is 1.1/8” to 1.5/32”, micronaire ranges between 3.5 and 4.5., and strength is 27 gpt (HVI). Most organic cotton is of Mech-1 and Bunny Brama quality.
About 65 % of the production is certified by Ecocert, 30% by Control Union and the remainder by other certifiers. |
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Syria has only been producing organic cotton since 2006, although it has been a well-known cotton exporter for many years. Thanks to the virgin land which could be certified for organic cotton, production was quickly increased in a short period of time, making Syria one of the top three organic exporters in the world. The government supports organic projects in their belief that environmental friendly production provides a financial advantage to their farmers. The main production areas are in the area of Aleppo and further east.
All cotton is handpicked and saw ginned. The staple is from 1.3/32” to 1.5/32”, micronaire ranges from 3.8 to 4.8 and strength is 28 gpt (HVI) and higher.
All organic cotton production is certified by Control Union certifications & SGS. |
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The United States is currently one of the top five organic cotton producing countries in the world. Production started in the early 1990s and is centered in areas where defoliation occurs naturally through a hard freeze.
The cotton is machine picked and quality tested by the United States Department of Agriculture where full bale by bale HVI data can be supplied. The majority of the production is consumed by the domestic industry, but a limited quantity is also sold to the export market.
All cotton is machine picked and saw ginned. The quality is on average SM, staple 1.1/8”, micronaire 3.5 to 4.9 (G-5), and strength averages 29 gpt (HVI). |
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Organic production has been rising in importance in Egypt during the last decade. Organic cotton production was not included in this increase, and has been very limited. The production was focused on the domestic production of baby-clothing. At present there are 42 certified cotton farms, a substantial part being umbrella farms incorporating hundreds of small farmers and their families.
Today, efforts are under way to increase the amount of organically grown cotton. Within the next five years organic production techniques are expected to follow growing the most important Egyptian cotton varieties such as the extra-long staple varieties Giza 88 and Giza 86 as well as the shorter staple variety Giza 90. With the exception of Giza 90 which is grown in the Fayoum region south of Cairo, all other organic cotton growing takes place in the Nile River Delta mainly north and northwest of Cairo.
All cotton is handpicked and roller ginned. |
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Since the late 1990’s Reinhart has been a partner in organic cotton production projects in Mali and Burkina in cooperation with Helvetas (www.helvetas.ch). Further projects are managed in Senegal and Benin.
In the Helvetas projects Reinhart guarantees to buy all the cotton produced. In Burkina Faso there are almost 3’000 producers cultivating over 2’000 hectares. In Mali farmers around 4’000 producers cultivate over 2’300 hectares.
Cotton is handpicked and saw ginned. All certified qualities are grade 1 with 1.3/32” to 1.1/8” staple length and 27/29 gpt (HVI) strength.
The cotton is certified by ECOCERT. |
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In 2003, Helvetas started a project called "Organic Cotton Production and Trade Promotion" (www.helvetas.kg, www.swisscoop.kg), situated in Jalalabad Oblast. The project is also FLO fair-trade certified.
During the project's first year the main task was to train staff and farmers. In the following years, numerous field trials were carried out to cultivate rotating and mixed crops (cotton/beans, cotton/peanuts, cotton/maize) and organic fertilizer has been produced. A farmers’ organization and a women’s group have been founded, the latter being in charge of the marketing and processing of the rotation crops.
Today, more than 700 farmers have received accreditation by the organic certification agencies.
All cotton is handpicked and saw ginned, grade 1 with 1.3/32” staple length. |
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