Think about the last time you walked into a store to purchase a towel; it’s a global enterprise. Egyptian cotton is likely to be included on the label if you look closely. This product is well-known in many countries, although it looks to be in its latter stages of decline in the industry at large.
Since cotton production started in Zagazig in the 1820s, it has been Egypt’s primary supply of cotton. There are several industries and fabric manufacturers in this area that take in and process raw cotton from the surrounding fields, then package and ship it out of the area through Alexandria, Egypt.
Egypt’s cotton has a similar historical reputation to Swiss chocolate or French wine. A sign of agricultural pride, Egyptian cotton is a mainstay in Egyptian culture and is woven into the fabric of everyday life. Egyptian cotton’s history and production method are taught in national schools. Folkloric songs about the plant have been sung by Egyptians for generations.
However, Egyptian cotton’s current importance does not equal its historical significance. However, despite the drop in exports, Egypt’s cotton trade volume was never very high. With cotton exports, the United States, Brazil, and India are the most important players in the global market. Egypt’s cotton was the best in the world because of its exceptional quality, which was unmatched anywhere else.
A decline in quality and output over many decades has tarnished Egypt’s reputation for producing high-quality cotton and has prompted questions about the reason for its demise and the efforts now being made to revive Egyptian cotton.
Luxury of egyptian cotton
As a result, Egyptian Cotton is able to create longer fibers than other varieties of the fiber. This kind of cotton is called extra-long staple (ELS). Cotton from Egypt has been dubbed “white gold” because of its rarity and high quality. As a result, the [ELS] cotton fiber is more breathable, more robust, and longer-lasting than conventional cottons. What you’re looking at is a mixture of salt and dirt from the Nile River, which originates in Africa. There’s just the right balance of natural events here.
Because of the Civil War in the United States, Egypt discovered how to produce high-quality cotton. The war boosted the demand for cotton in the United States, which meant the nation needed more cotton than it produced.
Egypt increased its cotton output by double during the war, and knowledge of its superior quality went far. For the rest of the twentieth century, cotton was the country’s biggest agricultural export, and it hasn’t looked back since.
Issues with white gold
Egypt’s cotton was formerly known for its elegance, but it has faded in recent decades due to problems with white gold. During Hosni Mubarak’s last decade in power, corruption and agricultural manipulation were prevalent. Egyptian cotton was being substituted with lower-quality imported cotton when the textile sector was liberalized by Mubarak’s regime.
After the 2011 uprising against Mubarak’s dictatorship, Egypt’s cotton industry suffered a severe setback. Political unrest led to a lack of supervision and monitoring of Egypt’s cotton fields, which resulted in a decrease in the quality of Egypt’s cotton.
With all subsidies gone in 2015, the formerly two million acre supported agriculture economy was shrunk to a measly four hundred thousand acres. Many people in the cotton industry referred to it as the end of the industry in the United States.
Egypt’s white gold is getting a new lease of life thanks to recent changes and the needs of the market.
Present scenario of fabric
Egypt’s fabric sector contributes 3% to the country’s gross domestic product, and the government is working hard to revitalize it. After the cotton crisis of 2015 and 2016, the government reinstated certain subsidies for the crop.
Additional public relations issues at U.S. retailers raise the bar and add to the asset’s worth Since Welspun had a retail controversy, they signed an agreement with the Cotton Egypt Association, a department inside the Ministry of Trade and Industry tasked with distributing the trademark for authorized Egyptian cotton.
A few years after the coronavirus epidemic, Egypt’s cotton exports grew significantly, despite the country’s economic stagnation. There was a rise in exports of EGP 1.3 billion (USD 71.2 million) over the previous year, reaching EGP 5 billion (UD 274 million).
Conclusion
There was a time when Egyptian cotton was famous as the ‘fourth pillar’. But now it is trying to revive. Cotton is rebuilding to set the egyptian textile on
