The cotton sector in India is considered the second most developed sector in the textile industry (after man made fibres). At 18% of the global total, India is the world's largest producer of cotton. The history of the cotton industry in India dates back millennia. India held a global monopoly over the manufacturing of cotton textiles for about 3,000 years from 1500 B.C. to 1500 A.D. It served as an ideal medium of exchange in the barter economy during the ancient period. During the middle ages, it was exported to Eastern and European markets. This was followed by the establishment of cotton mills by imperial powers in the modern period.
(a) What has led to the development of cotton textile industry in India?
(b) Why the demand for cotton textile decreasing?