Cotton Acreage Lags Behind Last Year Due to Weak Sowing in Northern States

18-Jun-2026 10:26 AM

New Delhi. Data from the Union Ministry of Agriculture reveals that the total domestic area under cotton cultivation reached only 9.53 lakh hectares by June 12 this year, marking a 28 percent decline compared to the 13.19 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year. Cotton sowing has commenced in parts of various states, including Karnataka, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.

Cotton acreage in North India has dropped by approximately 22 percent. The area under cultivation has remained particularly limited in Punjab and Haryana, as farmers there prefer prioritizing paddy cultivation. For various reasons, cotton farming has proven unprofitable for farmers in Punjab and Haryana.

Conversely, paddy is a crop for which farmers are assured of sales and better returns. The government procures large quantities of paddy from farmers annually at the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Across the three producing states of the northern region—Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan—the area under cotton cultivation reached only around 9 lakh hectares this season, compared to 11.56 lakh hectares last year. Early cotton sowing in the northern region takes place in April and May, and the sowing process has now largely concluded.

In Punjab, the area under cotton cultivation fell from over one lakh hectares to approximately 80,000 hectares by June 11, whereas 1.19 lakh hectares were recorded last year.

Similarly, the sown area in Haryana dropped from 3.94 lakh hectares last year to 2.92 lakh hectares this season. In Rajasthan, too, the acreage reached only 5.28 lakh hectares compared to 6.43 lakh hectares last year, despite expectations of an increase in the cultivated area.