BARBADOS' COTTON INDUSTRY is chasing the big bucks.

Its future lies in producing top quality products from its Sea Island Cotton, rather than selling off raw cotton for people to do the same.

Chief Agricultural Officer Barton Clarke made these comments yesterday at the opening of a workshop dealing with the management of pests in the cotton industry.

"All the analyses have shown that if we are to continue in cotton, we cannot do so on the basis of continuing to produce lint only," he told about 40 farmers, extension officers, cotton project workers and entomologists gathered at the Ministry of Agriculture's Graeme Hall headquarters.

"Even at US$10 a pound, we cannot be competitive in the global market place," he said.

Clarke said analyses showed that most of the money "is to be had at the retail end of the cotton industry".

To this end, Government has supported the establishment of Exclusive Cottons of the Caribbean Inc. (ECCI)

"They have been trying to identify strategic partners, trying to develop some products," he said afterwards. Some ECCI products, including tea towels, were on the market and the company was "working towards launching some new lines of clothing" for men and women at Christmas, he reported.

The cotton-planting season runs from August 15 to September 15 but was delayed by heavy rains.

Barbados is putting over 300 acres under cotton this year, similar to what it did last year, and each acre is expected to yield 400 pounds of lint.

Clarke noted that the pink bollworm remained the major threat to the industry, with the ability to reduce yields by 50 per cent.

"If we do things right, if we manage (the crop) effectively, if we control the pests, I would say, yes, that the production would be better than previous years," Clarke added.

He underscored the need for reduced levels of pesticide use and greater control of pests in the industry.

"If we can demonstrate to the world that we have produced cotton without using pesticides, the value of that cotton will increase significantly," he said. (TY)