The Indian Cotton Federation (ICF), in association with the Indian Cotton Association Limited (ICAL), Bathinda, jointly inaugurated the 7th Biennial All India Cotton Conference 2026 at Hotel Le Meridien today, under the theme “Cotton – The Sustainable Fibre of the Future.”
Lalit Kumar Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), graced the occasion as the Chief Guest, while Purnesh Gururani, Director (Fibre), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, was the distinguished guest. K.V. Srinivasan, Managing Director of Premier Mills, attended as the Guest of Honour. The dignitaries addressed the gathering on various aspects of the cotton sector.
During the inauguration, six eminent leaders of the cotton industry were honoured with the ‘Life Achievement Award’. The awardees were Kandaswamy of Sri Shanmugavel Mills; Suresh Tayal of Shri Rajarajeshwar Cotton; Ramesh Kakkirala of Kaveri Ginning Mills; Rakesh Rathi of Kamal Cotton Traders; Perumalsamy of Shri T.P. Textiles; and Ramalinga Appasamy of M/s. A.R. Appasamy.
Thulasidharan, President of the Indian Cotton Federation (ICF), delivered the welcome address, while Nishant Asher, Honorary Secretary, spoke about the conference and its objectives.
Ashwin Chandran, Chairman, CITI; Sundararaman, Chairman, SIMA CDRA; and Arun Karthik, President, SISPA, delivered the felicitation addresses. The dignitaries jointly released the conference souvenir.
Mukul Tayal, President of the Indian Cotton Association Limited (ICAL), proposed the vote of thanks.
The two-day conference brings together cotton farmers, ginners, agents, traders, spinners, textile manufacturers, machinery manufacturers, policymakers, technology providers and global cotton experts to discuss the opportunities, challenges and emerging trends shaping the future of the cotton industry.
Following the inauguration, a business session was held on the topic “Cotton Insights: Global Demand and Supply with AI.”
Around 500 delegates from across India and countries including the USA, the UK, Egypt and Malaysia are participating in the conference.
