"Turkey and Syria Earthquake: Better Cotton Update", 9 February 2023

In the early hours of Monday, 6 February, the Gaziantep province in south-eastern Turkey was hit by one of the strongest earthquakes of the century, registering a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale. This was followed by a series of aftershocks, with the largest registering a magnitude of 7.5, roughly nine hours later. The earthquakes caused extensive damage in Turkey and northern Syria...

The impact on the populations concerned, including those engaged in cotton production and processing, has been devastating. Better Cotton Farmers and Programme Partners are among the victims, and many Members – including ginners, spinners and traders – are based in the affected areas...

We are gathering information on the extent of the impact on Better Cotton farming communities and will be able to share more information with our members and stakeholders in the coming weeks. Better Cotton is looking at ways to support the Better Cotton community in affected areas...