Weaving Bales with Bytes: A Case for Cotton Digitalization
Cotton has been a profitable crop for the past 7000 years otherwise our ancestors would have dropped it. It is one of the most sustainable fibre. For a very long time, India was known for cotton fabrics, while the rest of the world clad in wool. Today, cotton is cultivated in about 80 countries around the globe. India ranks no. 1 in cotton production, contributing to 33.23% in the total area of the world. One in every four hectares of cotton grown around the world comes from India. The role cotton plays in an agricultural-based economy like India can't be overlooked. With the advent of better hybrids, fertilizers and pesticides in the post-Green Revolution years (the late 1960s), the yield increased multifold and cotton farming prospered in the sub-continent. This surge in supply, accompanied by the changing consumer preferences from tailor-made to readymade garments and popular media influence boosted the cotton textile industry and has created job opportunities for millions of...