Did you know that cotton’s usage is recorded back to the fifth millennium BC? As a textile company in India, you probably know much about this staple fiber. Still, if you are starting your base as a cotton buyer, this article provides things you didn’t know about cotton.
The Origins and Production of Cotton
Cotton is a plant fiber cultivated from the Genus Gossypium plant family. The fiber is primarily composed of cellulose, a soft and fleecy insoluble organic compound that provides the required structure to the plant.
The word ‘Cotton’ is derived from the Arabic word ‘Quton.’ Early cotton usage in India dates back to the fifth millennium B.C. The first cotton gin was invented in India in the 13th century. For cotton buyers who aren’t aware, the gin is a tool that separates cotton fluff from the seeds.
However, during the Industrial Revolution, Britain overtook India to become the leading cotton producer in the world. While India’s cotton gin made production easier and faster, the mechanical cotton gin, invented by American Eli Whitney, increased its visibility and usage in the USA and Europe.
The mechanical gin drastically cut down manual labor hours to produce one bale of cotton from 600 to 12 hours. The American-produced cotton fibers were better quality, with much longer and stronger fiber strands compared to the rest of the regions.
This changed the dynamics of cotton production. Despite occasional fallbacks, such as during Civil War, the USA (Texas) remains the number one cotton manufacturer in the world, followed by China and the top textile companies in India.
The South Plain region in the northern part of Texas is the world’s largest cotton-growing area.
Cotton can be grown in all tropical and sub-tropical regions; therefore, India, China, the USA, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Brazil, and Turkey are cotton growers.
Common Uses of Cotton in India
Cotton has wide usability across different industries, from fashion to medical to industrial. Let’s read the top six uses of cotton worldwide.
Woven Fabrics: Top textile companies in India use cotton to make a variety of woven fabrics, such as denim, canvas, damask, flannel, and more. They are further used for different purposes, including medical bandages, painting canvases, industrial boards, etc.
Home and Decoration: Cotton is used to make home and office furnishings, such as upholstery, pillows, sofa, curtains, blankets, etc.
Fashion Apparel: Its amazing properties, like durability, softness, affordable production, and absorbency, make it a staple fabric in the textile industry in India. Cotton is frequently used to produce high-quality fashion garments cost-effectively, including jeans, t-shirts, dresses, kurtas, ethnic wear, sweats, infant clothing, sarees, sportswear, and much more.
Beds and Linen: Since cotton is extremely soft, durable, and skin-friendly, it is considered an ideal fabric for bed and bath products. Due to the same reason, it is also used to make underwear and swimwear.
Cottonseed Oil: During the cotton production process, the seeds are preserved separately at the gins to produce cottonseed oil, which is used to make a variety of household things, such as candles, soaps, salad dressing, margarine, and more.
How Was Raw Cotton Processed
Production of cotton fiber is a lengthy process; therefore, if you buy cotton online in India, remember to get it from a specialized cotton supplier.
In the early days, cotton was picked and separated by hand. However, a cotton picker or a stripper is used now to pick the entire plant or strip the boll.
The cotton is taken to the gins for cleaning and fluffing to separate it from dirt, lint, and seed. After this, the raw cotton is shipped to top textile companies in India with mills for production.
The cotton fiber is put through a carding machine at the mills, where it is cleaned and transformed into long, untwisted ropes, which are then sent to fabric manufacturers.
For budding cotton buyers and apparel manufacturers, understanding the characteristics of fabrics is very important.
If you are looking for expert cotton buyers and sellers, contact our traders. We will fulfill your business needs with personalized buying and selling solutions.
