Is cotton the core of life?

There aren’t many products around the world that everybody uses and can afford. For example, computers are used every day by people in first world countries yet many poor people in third world countries are deprived of it. However, there is one product that the rich and the poor, the young and the old use daily, without this product; our lives will be much different for it’s of great importance. Cotton is one of the most important resources today as it is the center and base of medical and textile field, it the world’s leading cash crop which is used more than any other fiber, and it has a high demand and is consumed everywhere.

This cash crop’s origin is unknown but remains of cotton textiles were found in the Indus Valley and it is believed that the Harappan civilization were the first to grow the crop to be used as fabric for clothing and towels in 2500-3000 BC. The Harrapa people migrated from Africa to India and were hunters but eventually became farmers and grew the crops next to the Indus Valley. The farming techniques of cotton were developed in India and were soon exported across the monsoons and the Indian Ocean through ships. Due to its high price it limited supply it started off not being very popular.  Cotton was soon spread to China, East Africa, and then to Muslim nations in the Middle East. Cotton was very popular in Muslim nations and soon they started producing textiles made from cotton. The supply for cotton then increased but its demand has risen slowly. Many years later, cotton had spread to Europe, America, and most of Africa and more techniques on producing longer fibers were found. In the 1700’s cotton became more valuable, popular and England saw its potential after cotton has replaced flax and wool as many countries’ most popular fabric. England’s industrial revolution was based on importing raw cotton and dispersing them throughout the world which lead to the growth of their empire. The supply had risen and so has its demand. Many countries such as India, China, United States, and France also had begun producing cotton to meet its growing demand. The demand had risen sharply and became very popular and cotton industry was profitable. As there was much more supply to meet the demands cotton has became inexpensive and appealed to the majority of the world’s population.

                Cotton was first produced and consumed in India. Then a big amount of it was produced by the Muslim nations for its textile industry. After cotton had became the most popular fabric in Europe, several of the world’s powerful European nations such as England had began producing a lot of it at a high rate. Then in 1914 most of the cotton used in the world was produced by America. Cotton was first consumed in South Asia, then in the rest of Asia and the Middle East. It was then consumed by Europeans and the Americas. Cotton business revenue in the U.S. economy exceeds 120 billion. The top six cotton producers are China (33 million bales), India (27 million bales), America (18 million bales), Pakistan (10.3 million bales), Brazil (9.3 million bales), and Uzbekistan (4.6 million bales) who account for 83% of the world cotton production. The top five exporters in 2011 are America, India, Brazil, Australia, and Uzbekistan. Top cotton importers are South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Hong Kong, Japan, Turkey, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand, and Italy. Today, cotton is consumed in most parts of the world because it can be used for many things such as textile and clothing, bedding and curtains, and in the medical field in terms of bandages and cotton buds. 2.5% of the world’s land is now used for the production of cotton.

                Cotton is easy to farm, and people were discovering that it could be used for many things. Cotton being warm, soft, clean, and natural made it more popular and a better mode of clothing. It was a good business and due to its popularity it created a huge demand that persuaded many countries to produce the fiber. People began consuming it more and using it for a range of products which lead to the demand rising.  It was used more and inventions made the production process faster. Cotton shaped many countries economy and became more important over time. Its demand has risen over the years and many countries have tried to produce more cotton to meet the growing demands. The demand for cotton is the highest it has ever been with a demand of 23 million tones but a production of 26 million tones has met the demands and kept cotton affordable and inexpensive as there is a surplus of supply.

            There are many ways to do something just like there are many different ways and techniques to grow cotton. Some ways are simple, yet some are very complex. There are also many detailed steps involved. A cotton plant takes around 4 to 5 months before it is ready to harvest. Its development starts off with germination and emergence, seed establishment, canopy development, flowering, and maturation. Cotton’s growth can be affected by cold temperatures and bad soil moisture which would damage the plant. When there is a natural disaster such as a tornado or earthquake, the supply of cotton decreases leading to a shortage. People will complain as prices rise and companies will try to meet the demands.

                Cotton is a major industry in many countries and the most used fiber. It is America’s leading cash crops, and cotton is used daily by everyone in all cultures, races, genders, and social classes. Cotton is soft, warm, clean and natural. Cotton exists in our shirts, jeans, underwear, undershirt, socks, turbans, pillows, bedding, towels, curtains, cotton buds, bandages, thread, and fabric. Most textiles and clothing we wear are made from cotton because it keeps us warm and it is soft. Without bandages, cotton buds, and other medical tools made from cotton, medical care wouldn’t have been able to come this far. Our life is based upon this luxury crop which we use so often.  We use cotton so much that we don’t appreciate and notice its significance and importance. Imagine life without cotton today. We wouldn’t be able to use soft towels to wipe our face and body after taking a shower. We wouldn’t have warm and soft clothing to wear. Our pillows will be hard, and our beddings will have to be made with something else, thus not keeping us warm at night. The demand for cotton has risen annually because we find more uses for it and it is a very important crop that we have grown used to. Cotton is clean which gives us good hygiene and keeps us healthy too. Cotton’s impact on us is that it has made improved our life and is the best mode of clothing. It has changed what most things are made of and it replaced wool. However, recently cotton is being replaced by synthetics and one reason is because synthetics and polyester are cheaper and its thread is stronger. 

                The moving of cotton has caused Southernization to occur. Without Southernization there wouldn’t be westernization because why would Europeans want to be involved with countries like India and China. They must be involved with India and China because the techniques of growing cotton, etc came from India. India and China are also a big exporter of cotton.