Cotton Mission Timeline May Be Extended

24-Nov-2025 11:54 AM

New Delhi. The Government of India has decided to extend the term of the proposed Cotton Productivity Mission to 10 years, after the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had previously suggested a five-year timeframe.

It is understood that the five-year timeframe was not considered sufficient to achieve the desired results.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICMR) has been tasked with implementing the mission and is now awaiting input from the Department of Agriculture to finalize the mission. It is noteworthy that the mission was announced in the Union Budget for 2025-26.

Although the mission has been delayed, it is understood that the Union Ministry of Textiles is insisting on using the funds allocated for the mission to modernize ginning units.

It is worth noting that the Expenditure Department of the Union Finance Ministry has already rejected the Cotton Ministry's proposal. NITI Aayog also disagrees with the Textile Ministry's proposal.

When the Cotton Productivity Mission was scheduled for a five-year term, a provision of approximately ₹5,000 crore was made.

Of this, approximately ₹4,000 crore was to be spent by the Ministry of Agriculture. However, if the mission's term is extended to 10 years, the allocation will have to be increased accordingly.

India's average cotton productivity rate is significantly lower not only than that of China, Brazil, the United States, and Australia, but also that of Pakistan and Bangladesh.