What some people might not realize is that cotton is an important cash crop for communities around the world. According to the latest estimates, the production of cotton provides jobs for more than 250 million people worldwide.

In developing countries, cotton has an even more profound effect on local economies. In fact, cotton employs about 7% of the workforce in many developing countries. This crop provides decent employment and is capable of growing in arid climates.

It is such an important crop to the world community that a holiday was created in its honor. This holiday is called World Cotton Day and is observed annually on October 7th.

The History of World Cotton Day

The World Trade Organization (WTO) created this holiday on October 7th, 2019. This occurred after four cotton producers in sub-Saharan Africa lobbied for the establishment of this holiday.

These four cotton producers were known as the Cotton Four and consisted of Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mali. The first celebration of this holiday was organized by the WTO Secretariat and the Secretariat of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Also assisting with the celebration of this holiday were the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Some Amazing Facts About Cotton

You really didn’t think that we would cover World Cotton Day without looking up some interesting facts about cotton, did you? Once we learned about the importance of this holiday, we knew that we had to find out everything we could about it. We then gathered those facts together and put them in the following bulleted list.

• Humans have been growing cotton for over 2,000 years, perhaps even longer.
• Cotton seeds dating back to 450 BC have been found in Peru.
• It takes approximately 6 months for a cotton plant to mature for harvest.
• Cotton fiber can be digested by cattle and horses because they have an enzyme that can break down its cellulose.
• The longest cotton fibers grown are Egyptian and Sea Island cotton.
• The entire cotton plant is used, and none is wasted.
• Cotton seeds are used to make cottonseed oil and for animal feed.

Observing World Cotton Day

This is a holiday for people to learn more about cotton and its importance to the entire world. It’s also a day for companies to showcase their cotton products and for cotton producers to seek better alliances with other worldwide cotton producers.

It’s also a day for people to spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #WorldCottonDay on social media.