The concept of an International Cotton Researchers Association (ICRA) was the initiative of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), Washington DC, with the purpose of stimulating research collaboration across the world, including assistance with organizing World Cotton Research Conferences (WCRC).
To initiate ICRA, ICAC identified and appointed an Executive Committee of 15 members and Chairman in 2012.
Executive Committee (2012-2016)
The Executive Committee was reelected/formed in 2016 prior to the World Cotton Research Conference-6, May 2-6, 2016. The current Executive Committee (2016-2020) comprises of following members.
- Dr Michel Fok, Montpellier. France (Chair)
- Dr Mohamed A. M. Negm, Gizeh, Egypt (Vice-Chair)
- Dr Dean Ethridge, Texas, USA (Treasurer)
- Dr Alderi Emidio de Araujo, Paraíba, Brazil,
- Dr Eleni Tsaliki, Greece,
- Mr Anthony Muriithi, Nairobi, Kenya,
- Dr Hezong Dong, Jinnan, China,
- Dr Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, Tashkent, Uzbekistan,
- Dr Khalid Abdullah, Islamabad, Pakistan,
- Mr Mauricio Tcach, Sáenz Peña, Argentina,
- Dr M. V. Venugopalan. Nagpur, India,
- Dr Bedibete Bonfoh, Lome, Togo,
- Dr M. Rafiq Chaudhry, Washington DC, USA,
- Dr Mike Bange, Australia,
- Dr Terry P. Townsend, Texas, USA
Executive Committee Meetings
- 1st Meeting_Minutes (San Antonio, USA, January 8, 2013)
- 2nd Meeting_Minutes (Mumbai, India , December 6, 2015)
- 3rd Meeting_Minutes (Goiania, Brazil, May 3, 2016)
You can also consult the full list of the ICRA website members.
Objectives – broad achievements and progress to be realised over the next four years.
- Promote and strengthen networking among cotton researchers; facilitate site-visits; gather, analyse and rapidly disseminate worldwide information related to cotton; highlight the global and local problems associated with cotton and seek the solutions to overcome priority problems.
- Advise host countries in managing and running the WCRC; help each local organizing committee to prepare all aspects of the conference. Have the next Management Committee be established through an election process.
- Serve as an international voice on cotton research; raise awareness of research achievements in making cotton production sustainable as a commodity at the international level; help with training the next generation of cotton researchers and specialists.
- Hosting a database of cotton research activities.
- Enhance the competitiveness of cotton through dissemination of cotton research findings and outputs.
- Foster interest in ICRA and its objectives amongst cotton researchers.