India’s cotton cultivation has declined and will be down by 10% to 12% this season compared with the last one, said Cotton Association of India president Atul S. Ganatra.
Mr. Ganatra blamed this on falling crop yields per hectare. While the world average is 800 kg per hectare, it is almost half that in India, at about 480 kg a hectare. Indian farmers earn ₹90,000 per hectare a season compared with ₹5 lakhs that their Australian counterparts earn.
Mr. Ganatra told The Hindu on Friday that the area under cotton last year was 127 lakh hectares. This has dropped to 108 lakh hectares so far this year.
“Sowing is almost over and we expect it will reach 113 lakh hectares,” he said.
The crop size has reduced in the northern region (Punjab, Rajasthan, etc) by almost 35% because of pink bollworm infestation. While in Telangana, it has shrunk by 7% and in Gujarat, the area reduced by 13% to 15% as farmers shifted to groundnut and tur dhal cultivation.
Gujarat’s cotton yields slid drastically likely due to irregular rains last year, he said.
The carry forward stock for the next season could be nil. While production is likely to take a hit because of the fall in area under cultivation. Further, the government has increased the Minimum Support Price for raw cotton by ₹500 per quintal for 2024-2025 season. This is likely to raise cotton prices next season, which begins in October, he added.
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