The Israeli cotton sector may be small, but its cotton farmers use some of the world’s most efficient irrigation methods, collaborating effectively to address key sustainability challenges, and growing very high quality, extra-long staple cotton.
Image ©ICB
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is delighted to announce that its longstanding partner in the country, the Israel Cotton Production and Marketing Board (ICB) is now a BCI Strategic Partner. This follows the successful benchmarking of the ICB’s Israel Cotton Production Standard with the Better Cotton Standard System (BCSS). Benchmarking confers one-way recognition of other credible cotton sustainability standard systems, and is a key cornerstone of BCI’s long-term goal of national embedding.
“BCI is pleased to be strengthening its long-standing relationship with ICB, an enthusiastic contributor to the BCI community of companies and organisations, as it joins the growing ranks of BCI Strategic Partners.
We welcome the successful benchmarking of the Israel Cotton Production Standard and thank everyone involved with this work.”
Alan McClay, CEO, Better Cotton Initiative
Cotton production is highly mechanised in Israel, and its growers are well supported by a robust network of extension services. A total of 58 BCI licensed farms produced 9,000 tonnes of Better Cotton in the 2018-19 cotton season.
“We thank BCI for the benchmarking process and are proud to become aligned with its sustainable principles and criteria promoting excellence in cotton production, environmental considerations and decent human involvement.
In becoming a Strategic Partner ICB management and growers are ever more committed to the sustainability of the cotton sector and assume responsibility for its long-term preservation.”
Yizhar Landau, Managing Director, ICB
ICB is a farmer-owned producer organisation that represents all cotton farmers in the country. It has been an Implementing Partner of BCI since 2016, and all Israeli cotton farmers are enrolled in the BCI programme in Israel. The ICB coordinates relations between farmers, other supply chain actors and research and development institutions in Israel.
In 2018, ICB began developing its own cotton standard system – the Israel Cotton Production Standard (ICPS), pursuing the successful benchmarking with the BCSS in 2020. In doing so, Israel joins a select number of countries which have successfully benchmarked national standards with the Better Cotton Standard System. All Israeli farms continue to be eligible to market their cotton as Better Cotton.
About the Israel Cotton Production and Marketing Board (ICB)
The Israel Cotton Production and Marketing Board (ICB) is a voluntary farmer-owned producer organisation that represents all cotton growers in the country. The organisation provides sectorial leadership and coordinates relations between growers, supply chain actors and other stakeholders in Israel.
ICB engages in classing and organised marketing of the entire Israeli cotton crop. Additional functions include production and plant protection activities including field extension, administration of working capital funding, coordination of research and development and grower representation.
ICB and its collaborating Producer Units (PUs) administer the implementation of the Israel Cotton Production Standard System (ICPSS) in Israel.
