The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) will have its 81st plenary conference in Mumbai from December 2–5, hosted by the Indian Ministry of Textiles Office of Textile Commissioner. More than 400 delegates from 35 nations are anticipated to attend.

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, this will be the first plenary meeting held in person since 2019. "Cotton Value Chain: Local Innovations for Global Prosperity" is the meeting theme.

Associate hosts are the Cotton Corporation of India Limited (CCI), the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) and the Cotton Association of India (CAI).

The previous one, which focused on value addition and had the topic "From Farm to Fabric: The Many Faces of Cotton," was held by India in 2015.

According to a release from the textile ministry, this is also the fifth time that the ICAC plenary meeting has taken place in India in the last 60 years.

The 80th plenary meeting, with the topic "Driving Sustainability through Innovation and Leadership," was conducted virtually in November and December of the previous year.  

Piyush Goyal, the Indian minister of textiles, commerce, and industry, will open the gathering.

The purpose of the 81st plenary is to provide a forum for the global exchange of ideas, best practices, benchmarks, and experiences regarding productivity, climate resilience, and circularity for a thriving cotton industry.

The focus will be on cutting edge technologies and local innovations for sustainability that are developed locally but have global implications and the potential to support the prosperity of the cotton value chain, which affects millions of people who work in the textile, fashion, and trade industries.