Recently, Khaled Schuman, Executive Director of Cotton Egypt Association (CEA), was on a week-long visit to India to meet and engage with stakeholders from the textile industry across the country. A report about his visit
India, despite being a large cultivator of cotton, is a major importer of cotton from US, Egypt and other global markets. With high volatility evidenced in cotton prices in recent months, Indian spinners have been importing large quantities of cotton. With increase in exports and sourcing from India by global brands and retailers, there has been a significant increase in import of cotton from the US and Egypt. Recently, Khaled Schuman, Executive Director of Cotton Egypt Association (CEA), was on a week-long visit to India to meet and engage with stakeholders from the textile industry across the country.
The CEA is a non-profit body established in 2005 with support from the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Its mission, working closely with local and international companies involved in the Egyptian cotton supply chain, is to globally authenticate the legacy of Egyptian cotton. CEA’s mission is protecting and promoting the value-addition of Egyptian cotton identity in the supply chain end-to-end. This ensures that products carrying the Egyptian cotton logo are softer, finer and more resilient than those made from other fibres.
Asian Textile Conference
The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), which is the apex body for the textile industry in India, recently organised the 10th edition of the Asian Textile Conference (ATEXCON) at New Delhi on August 17, 2022. Piyush Goyal, Minister of Textiles, Government of India was the chief guest for this important conference. CEA was the Gold Sponsor for ATEXCON. CITI and CEA also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the presence of the textile minister. Both the industry bodies will work together for mutual benefits.
On the occasion, Khaled Schuman, Executive Director, CEA, said: “India is one of the largest cultivators of cotton globally and also the largest importer of Egyptian cotton. CEA has been working very closely with many large Indian textile companies for enhancing the supply chain of the ‘white gold’[ from Egypt for manufacturing home textiles and apparels that is exported back to global retailers in Europe, the UK, the US and other markets. We believe that everybody should experience the luxuriously soft touch of Egyptian cotton. We want people of all ages, worldwide, to seek out its strength, softness and durability. It’s all about the personal human touch.”
Coimbatore Seminar
The one-to-one business meetings with the textile community in Coimbatore followed by a seminar with a presentation to explain Egyptian cotton authenticity verification throughout the supply chain and the Egyptian cotton logo licensing program clearly indicates the increased focus and commitment from CEA to the Indian market and more particularly to the Indian textile industry.
Surat Yarn Expo and SGCCI Conference
The visit to the Yarn Expo in Surat followed by a conference organised by The Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) to meet the textile stakeholders added to the success of the trip. CEA and SGCCI have agreed to sign an MOU to strengthen their future cooperation for the mutual benefits of the two countries.
Partnership with Bureau Veritas
CEA has partnered Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services (Bureau Veritas) to provide conformity assessment services to verify that the materials are traceable to confirmed lots of authentic Egyptian cotton at any stage of production. The Egyptian cotton logo, owned by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and The Alexandria Cotton Exporters Association (ALCOTEXA), is a mark authenticating that the products are made of 100% Egyptian cotton. The exclusive agreement with Bureau Veritas brings global scale and reach to the scheme, thanks to its leadership position within the retail and consumer goods’ marketplace with test labs and auditors worldwide.