Along with the fall in sowing area, floods and rains have also caused damage to cotton crop.
16-Sep-2024 11:02 AM
Mumbai. Data from the Union Agriculture Ministry shows that the cotton production area at the national level has declined from 123.39 lakh hectares last year to 112.13 lakh hectares this time, even though the sowing process has been completed.
The sowing area of cotton has decreased in top producing states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana as well as in states like Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab, while there has been a slight increase in its area in Karnataka and Orissa.
Damage to cotton crop is reported due to floods, rains and water logging. According to official data, compared to last year, the area under cotton cultivation during the current Kharif season has declined from 42.22 lakh hectares to 40-75 lakh hectares in Maharashtra, from 26.79 lakh hectares to 23.62 lakh hectares in Gujarat and from 18.01 lakh hectares to 17.39 lakh hectares in Telangana.
Similarly, the area under cotton cultivation has declined from 6.50 lakh hectares to 6.14 lakh hectares in Madhya Pradesh, from 6.65 lakh hectares to 4.76 lakh hectares in Haryana,
from 7.90 lakh hectares to 5.19 lakh hectares in Rajasthan and from 3.90 lakh hectares to 3.71 lakh hectares in Andhra Pradesh. On the other hand, its sowing area has increased from 6.60 lakh hectares to 6.74 lakh hectares in Karnataka and improved from 2.34 lakh hectares to 2.36 lakh hectares in Orissa.
The area under cotton cultivation has decreased in Punjab. It is noteworthy that BT cotton is not cultivated in Orissa. In other states, both BT cotton and traditional cotton are cultivated.
In the last two months, heavy rains, severe floods and waterlogging in the fields in the major producing areas have caused damage to the cotton crop.
In some states, the rain is still continuing, due to which the extent of damage is expected to increase.
The marketing season for the arrival of new cotton will officially begin next month (October). The previous outstanding stock of cotton is likely to be low and the production of the season is also likely to decrease, due to which the market price of cotton may be high and fast in the coming months.