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Manubhai Patel, a member of Gramseva Kendra at Khadasli near Amreli, brought some seeds to experiment at Khadasli where the Kendra has 20 acres of land. Manubhai Patel remembers the day he

first saw brown cotton. He was taking a morning walk on a pleasant day at the University of Agricultural Science in Dharwad, Karnataka, when he saw saplings of brown cotton growing on the

campus. Patel, a member of Gramseva Kendra at Khadasli near Amreli, brought some seeds to experiment at Khadasli where the Kendra has 20 acres of land.  “I remember I asked the university

authorities if we could have some seeds of brown cotton to test whether the coloured cotton could grow in Gujarat,” said Patel, who has the distinction of introducing Gujarati farmers to

coloured cotton. “They gave me nearly 500 gm of seed. When I returned to Khadasli, I experimented with them on our land. We were successful in growing brown cotton and also made clothes from

it as our organisation promotes the use of khadi,” he said. Patel said it was then that the authorities of the self-employed women’s association (Sewa) contacted him and sought his help in

educating the farmers associated with it in growing brown cotton.  “Reemaben asked me to explain to their farmers how growing brown cotton was different from cultivating the white variety

and what extra precautions were required,” he said, referring to Reema Nanavaty, chairman of Sewa’s trade felicitation centre (STFC). “After that, Sewa farmers also started growing coloured

cotton and have successfully harvested crops.”  Patel is firm in his belief that coloured cotton cultivated through organic farming is the future of textiles. “There are several advantages

in having fabric made from coloured cotton,” he said. “The colour doesn’t fade; hence the clothes last longer. Also, as no artificial colour is used, the cotton is good for the skin. Demand

for clothes made from coloured cotton has already gone up.”  He further said that experiments with blue and green coloured cotton are already going on.