HISTORY OF THE COMPANY
Sir William Roberts, the founder of the Company came to the Indian subcontinent in 1906 and joined the Indian Agriculture Service. He was appointed First Professor of the famous Punjab Agriculture College Lyallpur (now University of Agriculture, Faisalabad) in 1909. He became Principal of this College in 1916 and continued in this capacity till 1921.
After the First World War vast area of Punjab became cultivable on completion of one of the largest canal irrigation systems in the world. Seeing the potential, he took over the assignment to introduce American Upland Cotton in place of “Desi” cotton variety and entered intoa partnership with British Cotton Growing Association, Manchester (which pioneered cotton growing in Sudan) and took on lease 7221 acres of land near Khanewal.
After the First World War vast area of Punjab became cultivable on completion of one of the largest canal irrigation systems in the world. Seeing the potential, he took over the assignment to introduce American Upland Cotton in place of “Desi” cotton variety and entered intoa partnership with British Cotton Growing Association, Manchester (which pioneered cotton growing in Sudan) and took on lease 7221 acres of land near Khanewal.
Robert Cotton Associates Ltd. Staff
A separate Company BCGA Punjab (Pvt.) Ltd. was formed to run the farms and Sir William Roberts became its Managing Director. With his knowledge and expertise, he succeeded in evolving a new American upland type cotton variety and named it KT25. Thus, he became one of the pioneers of growing American upland cotton in the Indian subcontinent. As cotton became a principal agricultural produce in the Punjab and Sind, BCGA entered intothe cotton business as well by establishing a network of Cotton Purchase Agencies and Ginning Factories.
BCGA continued Farming and Cotton Ginning business till partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. Thereafter farming and ginning businesses were bifurcated and BCGA exclusively became a Farming entity and Sir William Roberts formed his own company in 1949 and named it Roberts Cotton Associates Ltd to focus on Cotton Ginning. Sir William Roberts retired in 1966 and died in Bangor, North Wales, in 1971. Since 1966 his son Dr. T. J. Roberts, is the Managing Director of the Company.
Timeline
1921 British Cotton Growing Association (BCGA)
Sir William Roberts established British Cotton Growing Association (BCGA).1949Industrial Arm of BCGA
Roberts Cotton Associates Limited (RCA), Industrial Arm of BCGA, Was Established.1995 RCA Seed
RCA Ltd. diversified into planting seed business with the brand name of RCA Seed.1998 Roberts Rice
RCA Ltd. diversified into rice exports with the brand name of Roberts Rice.2015RCAPPS
RCA Ltd. diversified into information technology with the brand name of RCAPPS.