Formerly known as East India Cotton Association, it was redesignated as Cotton Association of India in August 2007. Present name truly reflects the All India character of the Association.

CAI has about 400 members representing all segments of Indian cotton chain i.e growers, ginners, traders, textile mills, exporters, brokers, co-operatives, etc. 18 Regional Cotton Associations and 4 Co-operative Cotton Marketing Societies are affiliated with CAI. CAI is a member of all leading chambers of commerce and industry in India.

CAI is represented on various committees of Indian Government e.g. Cotton Advisory Board, Technology Mission on Cotton, Textile Division of Council of Bureau of Indian Standards etc.

Cotton Association of India: –

• Fixes and adopts standards and classifications of Indian cotton

• Collects and disseminates information and statistics pertaining to cotton trade through various in-house publications like Indian cotton annual and a regular weekly bulletin

• Provides estimates of cotton crop and cotton balance sheet to Cotton Advisory Board at regular intervals during each cotton season

• Provides facility of blind survey system for redressal of quality disputes

• Fixes daily spot rates of Indian cotton of all parameters which serve as a reference point for the cotton trade

• Provides effective arbitration mechanism for cotton trade and maintains a panel of experienced arbitrators and conciliators

• Provides cotton testing services to the trade through its cotton testing and research laboratory equipped with latest testing instruments at Mumbai and Rajkot

• Organises two all India Cotton Conferences every year which serve as an excellent fora to discuss contemporary issues facing the cotton trade and initiate action to tackle such issues

• Provides encouragement to farmers by felicitating a most progressive farmer and a modern ginning and pressing factory every year

• Organised International Cotton Conference on cotton in March 2007 in Mumbai. More than 600 participants from India and 17 other countries attended this conference

• CAI makes representations to various governmental and other statutory authorities on important issues concerning cotton economy

• Co-ordinates with Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public distribution

• COTAAP research foundation, founded by the association for cotton development and promotion through research and extension activities undertake various cotton developmental initiatives such as soil and nutrition management programme, FLD on integrated pest management, FLD on production technology and some initiatives on ELS cotton.

• Conducts cotton training courses