OCA’s first national stakeholder forum in Pakistan signals a coordinated effort to scale organic cotton and build climate resilience across farming communities.
The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) convened its first national stakeholder event in Lahore — and online — bringing together farmers, ginners, brands, policymakers and civil society to strengthen the foundations of Pakistan’s emerging organic cotton sector.
OCA, active in Pakistan since 2022, aims to support more than 10,000 organic cotton farmers in the 2025–26 season, covering nearly 60,000 hectares across Baluchistan, Punjab and Sindh. The programme is expected to deliver around 16,000 metric tonnes of organic lint, backed by training, access to non-GM seed, financial support and market linkages.
Pakistan’s cotton belt faces increasing climate volatility — floods, heatwaves and soil degradation — making conventional farming riskier and more costly. OCA argues that organic cultivation offers a pathway to higher resilience by improving soil health, reducing dependency on synthetic inputs and stabilising farmer incomes. For the textile industry, which relies heavily on imported organic cotton, a domestic supply base strengthens competitiveness and enhances compliance with tightening global traceability rules.
Stakeholders at the event stressed the need for coordinated action across farming, industry and policy. OCA plans to deepen partnerships, expand digital tools for traceability and strengthen laboratory testing to safeguard organic integrity. As global demand for certified organic fibres continues to rise, Pakistan’s success will depend on sustaining collaboration, scaling farmer support, and ensuring transparency from field to fabric.
