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Puraane Zamaane Mein Cotton is one of the oldest fibres known to humanity. Some of the earliest fabric relics found in excavations of ancient civilisations have been cotton. Cotton was cultivated in Mohenjo Daro in 3500 B.C. Textiles of complex technique and design were found in Huaca Prieta, Peru circa 2400 BC. The word cotton itself comes from an Arabic word 'qutun' or 'kutun' used to describe any fine textile.

Types of Cotton

India grows all the four major types of cotton – G arboretum, G hirsutum, G herbaceum and G barbadense The first hybrid in the cotton crop was developed in India, in Surat, by Dr C T Patel (H4 intra hirsutum in 1970) – more than 200 varieties and hybrids were evolved in the subsequent five decades. Hybrids occupy around 45% of cotton crop in India, as in 1998. Important landmarks in the Indian cotton history include the development and release of native hybrids like G cot DH 37, G cot DH 9, DDH 2 and drought tolerant straight varieties like SRT 1, Renuka, LRA 5166, Anjali and Rajat

Cotton Exports from India

As late as 1815, India exported to England alone cotton goods worth £ 1,300,000. One third of contemporary India’s export earnings are from the textile sector. Cotton alone constitutes around 60% of the raw material. Cotton’s share in world textile manufacturing is around 45% whereas in India, its share is around 70%.