83rd Plenary Meeting

Bremen Parliament House, Am Markt 20, 28195 Bremen, Germany

“Uniting the Cotton and Textiles Value Chain for a Sustainable Future”

REGISTRATION

Following the ICAC Plenary Meeting, the International Cotton Conference Bremen will take place from March 25-27, 2026. You are kindly invited to consider extending your stay to attend this highly important event. Registration is available here.

For information on local attractions, restaurants, and more, please visit Bremen’s central tourist office (BTZ): https://www.bremen.eu/. The phone number is +49 421 3080010 and the email address is info@bremen-tourism.de.

ACCOMMODATION

Nearest Hotels:

Radisson Blu Hotel 4 *

Address: Boettcherstr. 2, 28195 Bremen

Phone: +49 421 36960

https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-blu-bremen

H+ Hotel Bremen 4 *

Address: Wachtstraße, Am Markt 27 – 29, 28195 Bremen

Phone: +49 421 36010

https://www.h-hotels.com/de/hplus/hotels/hplus-hotel-bremen

10-Minutes Walk:

Atlantic Grand Hotel Bremen 4 *

Address: Bredenstr. 2, 28195 Bremen

Phone: +49 421 620620

https://www.atlantic-hotels.de/grand-hotel-bremen-innenstadt/

Dorint Hotel Bremen 4 *

Address: Hillmannplatz 20, 28195 Bremen

Phone: +49 421 620000

https://hotel-bremen-city.dorint.com/

Motel One Bremen 4 *

Address: Am Brill 10, 28195 Bremen

Phone: +49 421 4095400

https://www.motel-one.com/hotels/bremen/hotel-bremen/ 

15-Minutes with tram or taxi:

Park Hotel Bremen 5 *

Address: Im Bürgerpark, 28209 Bremen

Phone: +49 421 34080

https://www.hommage-hotels.com/parkhotel-bremen/unser-hotel

Maritim Hotel Bremen 4 *

Hollerallee 99, 28215 Bremen

Phone:+49 421 37890

https://www.maritim.de/de/hotels/deutschland/hotel-bremen/unser-hotel

At the Airport:

Atlantic Hotel Airport 4 *

Address: Flughafenallee 26, 28199 Bremen

Phone: +49 421 55710

https://www.atlantic-hotels.de/hotel-airport-bremen/

Near the Airport

Holiday Inn Express 4 *

Address: Hanna-Kunath-Str. 5, 28199 Bremen

Phone: +49 421 322850

https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/gb/en/bremen/bkgap/hoteldetail

At the Train Station:

Best Western Hotel zur Post 4 *

Address: Bahnhofsplatz 11, 28195 Bremen

Phone: +49 421 30590

https://www.bestwestern.de/hotels/Bremen/Best-Western-Hotel-zur-Post/hotel

AGENDA OF THE 83^rd PLENARY MEETING 
(as of January 16, 2026). The time is GMT+1 for Bremen, Germany.

PUBLICATIONS

MONDAY, March 23, 2026

8:30 – 16:00	Registration
9:00 – 10:00	First Plenary Session: Inauguration
	Welcome remarks
	Approval of the Agenda of the 2024 Plenary Meeting
	Report of the Executive Director, Mr. Eric Trachtenberg Biography
	Recognition of the ICAC Researcher of the Year 2025
	Vote of Thanks
	MOU Signing: ICAC and Gherzi Textil Organization
	Group Photograph
10:00 – 10:30	Coffee break

10:30 – 12:30	Second Plenary Session: Plenary session: Government Member’s statement
	Statements from Member Governments
12:30 – 14:00	Lunch Break
14:00 – 15:30	First Open Session: Facilitating Investment in the Textiles and Apparel Value Chain in Emerging Markets
	Ms. Lucinda Sadrian
	Mr. Navdeep S. Sodhi, Partner, Gherzi Textil Organisation
	Dr. Marinus (René) van der Sluijs, certified quality expert and chair of ICAC’s Task Force for the Commercial Standardization of Instrument Testing of Cotton
	Dr. Md. Fakhre Alam Ibne Tabib, former Executive Director of the Cotton Development Board of Bangladesh
15:30 – 16:00	Coffee Break
16:00 – 17:30	Second Open Session: Reports from the ICAC Secretariat
	World Cotton Market Outlook, World Cotton Trade and Specialty Cotton Ms. Parkhi Vats, Economic Affairs Officer, ICAC
	World Textile Fiber Demand and Results of the ICAC Global Survey on Women in the Cotton Sector Ms. Lorena Ruiz, Economist, ICAC
	Textiles Strategy: Developing the Textiles Value Chain in Cotton-Rich Countries Mr. Usman Kanwar, Head of Textiles, ICAC
	Global Economics of Cotton Production Dr. Keshav Kranthi, Chief Scientist, ICAC
	ICAC Marketing and Promotion Efforts Mr. Mike McCue, Director of Communications, ICAC

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2026

9:00 – 10:30	Third Open Session: Technical Seminar Deep Learning and Sensor Technologies for Automated Detection and Monitoring of Cotton Diseases and Insect Pests
	Dr Charudatta Mayee, 2025 ICAC Researcher of the Year
	Dr Sally Taylor, Director – Entomology, Cotton Incorporated
	Dr Marcelo Paytas, Director at Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
10:30 – 11:00	Coffee Break
11:00 – 12:30	Fourth Open Session: Crafting National Textiles Policies that Encourage Innovation and Enhance Global Competitiveness
	Mr Ramakrishnan Janarthanan, Chief Development Officer, ARISE llP
	Ms Mary Concilia Anchang, Executive Chair, The African Chamber of Trade and Commerce ACC
	Ms Alison Ward, CEO of CottonConnect
	Mr Besim Özek,
	Ms Pia Terasa, VP Marketing and Communications, Saurer Group
12:30 – 14:30	Lunch Break
14:30 – 16:00	Meeting of the Steering Committee (Member Governments Only) (closed door meeting)
	Approval of the Standing Committee Officers as per the Recommendations of the Standing Committee
	Topic of the Technical Seminar for 2026
	Uncollected Assessments of the ICAC Members
16:00-16:30	Closing ceremony
	Closing comments by ICAC Executive Director Mr. Eric Trachtenberg
	Invitation to the 84th Plenary Meeting
	Adjourn