Update on the situation in the supply chain
Industrial production of our organic cotton textiles in Lithuania and India
At the beginning of the Remei textile chain, at our organic business in Kaswarad in central India, the organic cotton harvest is brought in, and at bioRe Tanzania Limited in Africa the farmers’ new growing season has just begun with the sowing of the cotton seeds.
Since the beginning of October, Lithuania has seen an exponential increase in the number of COVID 19 cases and has been in lockdown since November 7. Despite the lockdown, production can continue at full capacity and orders that have already been placed are being realized.
The first COVID-19 wave in India is flattening out, the number of new cases is declining and the cure rate is increasing. These are encouraging signals, which our production partners confirm and actively support by regularly measuring temperatures, wearing masks and adhering to the distance and hygiene measures introduced by the factories.
The greatest challenge for the production facilities in Tirupur at present is to ensure that orders are completed on time, especially when there are short-term absences or quarantines due to illness at numerous production stations. For example, a sewing line, which involves up to 20 workers depending on the article, has to be reorganized if a worker is absent.
On the whole, however, production is running well and short-term solutions are sought for any problems that arise.
Our agricultural organic cotton production
At the beginning of the Remei textile chain, at our organic business in Kaswarad in central India, the organic cotton harvest is brought in, and at bioRe Tanzania Limited in Africa the farmers’ new growing season has just begun with the sowing of the cotton seeds.
Fortunately, COVID 19 cases are declining in the growing area of our organic cotton in Kaswarad, India.
“We implement our Covid protocols during the sourcing and gutting of the organic cotton. Covid incidences have decreased dramatically in our region. However, there is a risk of a second wave in winter,” said Vivek Rawal, CEO of bioRe India Limited.
In Kaswarad, the harvest is currently being brought in. But this year we will again have to deal with capriciousness of nature and climate and to master emerging challenges of our organic farms together with their farmers in Madhyapredesh and Maharashtra. Unfortunately, in the past two months we have had to deal with heavy rainfall that has damaged numerous cotton capsules, and at present, in the second phase of harvesting, an infestation by the main pest of cotton, the “Pink Ballworm”, has occurred.
In the Meatu district in northeastern Tanzania, the growing season has begun with the onset of the rainy season. At the moment our organic business distributes the GMO-free organic cotton seed to the farmers which they need for sowing and tilling their fields.
The farmers receive a purchase guarantee from us for their next year’s cotton harvest and in return commit themselves to grow the cotton in a controlled organic way, in harmony with nature and according to the strict bioRe® requirements.
There are hardly any restrictions due to COVID 19 in Meatu district at the moment.
