The Australian Government, Cotton Australia and the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) have joined forces to provide 200,000 Pakistani cotton farmers with environmental training.
BCI has been granted $500,000 by the Australian Government's Business Partnerships Platform as an investment in the scheme, which will be conducted by BCI's partners in the regions of Punjab and Sindh during the 2017 cotton season.
Training will cover better crop production practices around issues such as pesticides, water and child labour.
Upon completion of training, farmers will be issued will a licence that will enable them to sell fibres as 'Better Cotton' in the global market.
Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay is thrilled to be partnering with BCI.
“We feel grateful to the Australian Government for their support and leadership.
“We see Pakistan’s cotton farmers not as competitors, but as part of a global cotton industry that we all belong to.”
“We must work together to meet the global sustainability challenges for cotton, and we can help by sharing our knowledge and expertise through BCI with our fellow farmers.”