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.

Head Office of ICRA: 1629 K Street NW, Suite 702, Washington DC 20006 USA

ICRA Secretariat: PCCC building, Old Shuja Abad Road, Multan-60500, Pakistan.

ICRA Executive Committee 2022

On the eve of World Cotton Research Conference-7 held from 04-07 October 2022 at Cairo Egypt. Elections were held for the new members of ICRA, EC. The nominees presented their vision for ICRA before the general body assembly. The general body voted and elected the following members for the executive committee of ICRA.

1. Dr. Md Akhteruzzaman, Bangladesh


2. Dr. Alex Mungai, Kenya


3. Dr. Bruno Bachelier, France


4. Dr. Felix Sawadogo, Burkina Faso


5. Dr. Ghorban Roshani, Iran


6. Dr. Ghulam Sarwar, Pakistan


7. Dr. Judi Scheffler, USA


8. Dr. Marcelo Paytas, Argentina


9. Dr. Martin Simasiku, Zambia


10. Dr. Nazife Ozkan, Turkey


11. Dr. Sandhya Kranthi, India


12. Dr. M. V. Venugopalan. Nagpur, India


13. Dr. Souzan Sanad, Egypt


14. Dr. Tahani Yousaf Elagib, Sudan


15. Prof. Dr. Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, Uzbekistan (Advisor)


16. Dr. Mohamed A. M. Negm, Giza, Egypt (Chair) 


17. Dr. Keshav Kranthi, Executive Director-ICRA (Member by Default)


18. Dr. Eric F. Hequet, Texas, USA (Vice Chair and Treasurer)


19. Dr. Khalid Abdullah, Islamabad, Pakistan (Member by Default)

• Dr. Fiaz Ahmad, Secretary, ICRA Secretariat, Multan, Pakistan

Terms of Reference for EC Members

• ICRA will convene a meeting of the newly elected ICRA-EC at the earliest possible convenience to discuss the future plans for ICRA.


• The newly elected Executive Committee shall co-opt new EC members for Geographical and subject matter representation in the next immediate ICRA-EC meeting.


• Each subject group will develop communication channels and social media networks to connect researchers of their subject area and to explore research collaborations.


• Each of the ICRA-EC subject-groups team will coordinate all activities related to research collaboration, conducting training programs, certificate programs, conferences, meetings, seminars, workshops, institution visits, review papers, reports and technical publications in their subject area.


• The EC members and ICRA experts will receive a certificate signed by the ICAC as and when required for their CV.

Executive Committee (2016 - 2020 extended to 2022)

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) to continue until the general body meeting on the eve of WCRC-7 in October 2022. New Executive Committee Chair nominated due to the resignation of Dr. Michel FOK from the position of EC Chair. The EC comprises of following members.

• Dr. Mohamed A. M. Negm, Giza, Egypt (Chair) (Cottonspinning@gmail.com)


• Dr. Keshav Kranthi, Executive Director-ICRA (keshav@icac.org)


• Dr. Eric F. Hequet, Texas, USA (Vice-Chair and 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


• Mr. Felix Sawadogo, Burkina Faso


• Dr. Michael Bange, Australia


• Dr. Terry P. Townsend, Texas, USA

• Dr. Fiaz Ahmad, Secretary, ICRA Secretariat, Multan, Pakistan (icracotton.pk@gmail.com)

Executive Committee Meetings

• 1st Meeting (San Antonio, USA, January 8, 2013)


• 2nd Meeting (Mumbai, India, December 6, 2015)


• 3rd Meeting (Goiania, Brazil, May 3, 2016)


• 4th Meeting (Online exchanges, about the call for application to serve as ICRA Secretariat)


• 5th Meeting (Islamabad, Pakistan, October 30, 2016)


• 6th Meeting (Online Special meeting, April 2017, about the amendment on the article related to the position of assistant treasurer)


• 7th Meeting (Tashkent, Uzbekistan, October 22nd, 2017)


• 8th Meeting (Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, December 2nd, 2018)


• 9th Meeting (Online, November 11, 2019)


• 10th Meeting (Online, September 4, 2020)


• 11th Meeting (Online, October 29, 2020)


• 12th Meeting (Online special meeting, January 08, 2021, about the nomination of new Chair & Vice-Chair of EC, postponement of elections till general body meeting, ICRA newsletter renamed as "Cotton Innovations" to be published monthly)

You can also consult the full list of the ICRA website members.

Objectives – broad achievements and progress to be realized over the next four years

- Promote and strengthen networking among cotton researchers; facilitate site-visits; gather, analyze 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.

http://wordpress.icracotton.org/?page_id=5414