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Cotton Gallery

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Priti Birla, 35 years old, works as a machine operator at Pratibha textile factory. ”I like my work here. We do organic cultivation as there are no chemicals involved. Lot of different diseases happen due to chemical farming and hence organic farming reduces diseases and saves the environment as well.”
Rakesh Acharya works in the print department at the Pratibha textile factory, Indore, India. He says that no hazardous chemicals are allowed during organic cotton production, and that this is good for the health of the farmers and workers. He also says that he likes that Fairtrade is run democratically: “They organize meetings from Fairtrade and also there are elections. There is voting through which membership is formed. Committee is also formed in Fairtrade.”
Cotton farmer Bhala son of Laxman in the Karahi region of India – in his living room in front of his cotton crop. He farms organic cotton on 5 hectares of land. He has been farming cotton for the last 25 years. He says that the life of a farmer is tough: “We have to do hard work, give proper irrigation from time to time, plough the field. Overall, we have to do everything.”
He has a wife, two sons and two daughters. “Fairtrade is good as we get a good price and our cotton gets procured, through which we send our children to school.”
Bhala’s income has increased since he joined the co-operative. His yield has become larger and he receives extra money from selling organic cotton. However, in recent years he has been affected by climate change: ”Because of excessive rainfall during last 3 years, the cotton crop had a failure. Proper cotton balls could not be formed. Erratic rainfall usually destroys the cotton crop, resulting in low volume.”
Suman Badri is an organic cotton farmer at the Pratibha-Vasudha cooperative in the Karahi region of India. She began with cotton farming after she got married. She also works as a tailor. She talks about the Vasudha school, built by Fairtrade Premium funds, and where her four children got educated: ”If there is less fees and children get better education they can grow in future, and it feels good for the parents. We think our children should study well and do well in future.” She says that she is satisfied with her life but that she would be happier if her yields became bigger.