Cotton Bales QCO Revoked; Relief for Ginning Industry.
The Central Government has withdrawn the Cotton Bales (Quality Control) Order (QCO), 2023, with immediate effect. A notification issued by the Ministry of Textiles has brought an end to the quality control regime that had been in the works for three years but could never be implemented due to industry opposition and practical challenges.
The Cotton Bales QCO was originally notified on February 28, 2023, under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act. It mandated BIS certification—in accordance with Indian Standard IS 12171:2019—for all cotton bales sold in the domestic market. However, cotton bales intended for export and products manufactured to meet the specific requirements of foreign buyers were exempted from this rule.
The government had initially granted the industry a 180-day transition period before the QCO came into force. However, the effective date was repeatedly postponed due to persistent concerns raised by the ginning industry. Under a notification issued in July 2025, the deadline had been extended from August 27, 2025, to August 27, 2026; the order's implementation had been deferred on previous occasions as well.
Industry bodies, particularly the Cotton Association of India (CAI), argued that ginning units would need to make massive investments in modern machinery and quality control systems to comply with BIS standards. Most ginning units fall under the MSME category, and adopting these standards within the stipulated timeframe was difficult due to their limited resources. The industry maintained that extensive technical upgrades would be required to meet standards regarding moisture, impurities, and trash content.
While the government extended the deadline several times in light of these objections, it ultimately decided to revoke the order entirely. The ministry's latest notification does not provide a detailed account of the reasons for the cancellation. It merely states that the decision was taken in the public interest following consultations with the Bureau of Indian Standards.
