Cotton Certified Traceability Program

PIONEER HI-BRED HELLAS for the last 30 years is contributing to Greek agriculture with actions aiming to help its customers utilize and maximize their seed potential, offering specific solutions to farmers, associates and end-users, and enabling farmers and associates to deliver improved and branded products to end-users.

In this context, PIONEER has started the PIONEER? COTTON CERTIFIED TRACEABILITY PROGRAM with the target of nationwide massive cotton production having an identifiable quality and conformity, and being environment-friendly.

This Program became national in 2004, and in 2005 was recognized as an innovative organised effort to massively and rationally produce high-value seed cotton and lint cotton throughout the production and marketing process. Since 2006, the lint cotton of the farmers participating in the program has had its own identity under the trade name CottonBest.eu^™. This brand accompanies the fibber balls resulting from the PIONEER? COTTON CERTIFIED TREACABILITY PROGRAM.

What exactly is CottonBest.eu^™

1. Certified traceability based on the Pioneer Hi-Bred Hellas protocol: It regards seed cotton and lint cotton. The certification is made by an independent Audit and Certification body (TÜV HELLAS).
2. Selected STONEVILLE varieties: The selection of STONEVILLE varieties sets the basis for high-quality lint cotton, high gin turnout, and high production of seed cotton.
3. Professional dealers and cotton farmers: Training on quality systems, organisation of farming-production, introduction of the concept of a group (formal or non-formal), production management.
4. Targeted farming management at farmer level: Increased income, production and higher quality of fibres produced.

CottonBest.eu^™ is a reliable, realistic and flexible system promoting the cooperation among all cotton market “players” without binding any of them. It, also, allows the enhancement of quality and services delivered through a special complaint/recommendation system to be completed by the product recipients. It is a “live” system designed and implemented based on the particular Greek market conditions, and providing farming and marketing options adapted to the particular conditions of each occasion.

In 2005, the PIONEER? COTTON CERTIFICATION PROGRAM covered 9 groups of producers in the following areas: Pherres, Komotini, Drama, Serres, Giannitsa, Pieria, Lamia, and Livadia. 200 farmers took part with a total of 1.830ha. The Traceability Certification was awarded to 7.020 MT of seed cotton. The larger part of the Certified quantity was delivered to 10 major gin mills nationwide for special ginning. The Certified output in traced quantity fibre ranged from 36.1% to 39.9%. The ginning details were as follows:Length: 28.5 – 30.4, Uniformity: 82.2 – 85.2, Strength: 29.3 – 33.5, Elongation: 8 – 12.6, MIC: 3.9 – 4.6, SFI: 3.8 – 9.5, Rd: 7.3 – 9.3

In 2006, the program expanded from a geographical standpoint and covered more cultivated areas, and was assigned the trade name CottonBest.eu^™. 16 farmer groups took part in the implementation of CottonBest.eu^™. The groups were located in the regions of Aitoloakarnania, Fthiotida, Thessaly, and Macedonia. 360 farmers were certified and they cultivated 2.350ha of cotton of the ST 457, ST 373, and ST 474 varieties. A total of 1.453 MT of seed cotton were ginned in cooperation with the following gin mills: Association of Agricultural Co-operatives (EAS) of LAMIA and MESOLOGGI, OUSOULTZOGLOU, EKKOKKISTIRIA GIANNITSON, and MAVICOTTON. The ginning process resulted in 530 MT of fibre certified by TÜV HELLAS and labelled CottonBest.eu^™.

Although 2006 was not a favourable year for the Greek cotton (qualitative and quantitative degradation), the full completion of CottonBest.eu^™ programs pointed out the program's potential, established the value of certified lint cotton, proved the ongoing excellent quality of the cotton varieties traded by Pioneer Hi-Bred Hellas for both the farmers and the mills, and confirmed the added value of the services provided by Pioneer.

During the 2007 farming season, new, as well as, old groups of farmers throughout Greece are active by cultivating the ST 457 and ST 373 varieties aiming to achieve CottonBest.eu^™ certification for their final product. All parties involved (Pioneer Hi-Bred Hellas, farmers, TÜV Hellas, gin mills etc) work with the aim of having CottonBest.eu^™ fibre from all cultivated hectares participating in the 2007 program.

The consistent and successful implementation of this program, allows us to believe that in the very near future the excellent CottonBest.eu^™ lint will be available in large quantities and will be considered a recognizable brand both in Greece and worldwide.