Expansion of Cotton Cultivation Can Boost Bangladesh’s Economy

Today is World Cotton Day 2026, an occasion that highlights the importance of this crop to economies and livelihoods around the world. Cotton, comes from the Arabic word ‘qutun’, is known by several names, including ‘white gold’, ‘gentleman of fibre’ and ‘king of fibres’. It is closely interrelated with civilisation, history, employment generation, women’s empowerment and the economy.

There are four commercially grown species of cotton: Gossypium hirsutum, or upland cotton, native to Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean and southern Florida, which accounts for 90 per cent of world production; Gossypium barbadense, known as extra-long staple or Egyptian cotton, native to tropical South America and accounting for over 5 per cent; Gossypium arboreum, or tree cotton, native to India and Pakistan and accounting for less than 2 per cent; and Gossypium herbaceum, or Levant cotton, native to southern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and accounting for less than 2 per cent. Hybrid varieties are also cultivated.

In Bangladesh, two types of cotton are cultivated: upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and hill cotton (Gossypium arboreum). Under the Cotton Development Board, cultivation takes place in four regions: northern, southeastern, central and hill regions. In the 2025-26 growing season, upland cotton covered 69 per cent and hill cotton 31 per cent of the cultivated area, while upland cotton contributed 96 per cent and hill cotton 4 per cent of total yield. For 2026-27, the targeted area is 33,500 hectares for upland cotton and 15,000 hectares for hill cotton. Of the upland cotton area, the southeastern region accounts for 58 per cent, northern 27 per cent, central 11 per cent and hill areas 4 per cent. Due to suitable land and agroclimatic conditions, the southeastern region produces more than 80 per cent of Bangladesh’s cotton.

Bangladesh remains heavily dependent on cotton imports. In 2025-26, we imported raw cotton and yarn worth US$6.51 billion, or around Tk80,000 crore, in foreign currency. The projection is that Bangladesh will account for 19 per cent of global cotton imports in 2026-27 and hold the first position. This is a major concern for our garment sector.

Bangladesh remains heavily dependent on cotton imports. In 2025-26, we imported raw cotton and yarn worth US$6.51 billion, or around Tk80,000 crore, in foreign currency. The projection is that Bangladesh will account for 19 per cent of global cotton imports in 2026-27 and hold the first position. This is a major concern for our garment sector. We had a bitter experience in 2010 when cotton-producing countries stopped exporting raw cotton to Bangladesh. Therefore, we need long-term planning to increase domestic production.

Farmers currently produce around 600 kg of seed cotton per bigha, which can contribute to around 3,500 quality T-shirts, 54 kg of edible oil and 306 kg of oilcake. With an investment of around Tk20,000 per bigha, growers can earn Tk35,000-40,000 in profit. Ginners can earn Tk60,000-70,000 after processing lint, oil and oilcake, while value addition from spinning to RMG can reach Tk4-5 lakh.

Producing 80 lakh bales domestically would require around 14.34 lakh hectares of high and medium-high land during the Kharif-2 season, out of 88.29 lakh hectares of cultivable land. This is difficult because of our food-security needs. Therefore, without hampering food security, the Cotton Development Board has planned to produce 19 lakh bales from two lakh hectares. Priorities include increasing domestic production to meet 20 per cent of demand, expanding cotton-based intercropping with vegetables, pulses and spices, and extending cultivation into low-productivity and challenging areas such as the Barind region, saline areas, char lands, agroforestry systems and hill areas. Other priorities include replacing tobacco with cotton, strengthening biotechnology research, increasing mechanisation, promoting collaborative research, providing low-interest agricultural credit, introducing minimum support prices and expanding public-private partnerships.

The government has provided incentives to cotton farmers since the 2024-25 fiscal year. In 2026-27, 25,000 farmers will receive input incentives of around Tk8,000 each, totalling Tk20 crore. They are expected to produce 3.75 lakh mounds of cotton, earning a net benefit of Tk96.25 crore. The country will receive 60 lakh kg of lint, 1.8 lakh kg of edible oil and 7.65 lakh kg of oilcake, with a total value of Tk170 crore. Including value addition up to RMG, the country could save Tk13.136 crore in foreign currency and create more employment opportunities.

Cotton is a highly labour-intensive crop, requiring extensive manual work for sowing, weeding, pest control and hand-picking. Traditional production can require around 135-200 man-days of labour per hectare, reaching 400-450 man-days in highly labour-intensive regions such as Bangladesh. Cotton is a poor man’s crop and a rich man’s commodity. If we want to improve farmers’ socio-economic conditions and boost the national economy, expanding cotton cultivation should be a priority.