Cotton production area is behind last year due to decrease in sowing in northern states.

20-Jul-2024 05:27 PM

New Delhi. This time, farmers in all three major cotton producing states of the northern region reduced the area of ​​this important industrial crop due to fear of diseases and pests. The combined production area has declined by about 6 lakh hectares and it has come down from 16 lakh hectares last year to around 10.23 lakh hectares this time. On the other hand, there is a possibility of some decline in the sowing area of ​​cotton in the major producing state-Gujarat. However, there are signs of increase in area in states like Maharashtra and Telangana. Some changes are expected in the sowing area of ​​cotton in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

At the all-India level, the cotton production area has come down by 3.61 lakh hectares from 105.66 lakh hectares last year to 102.05 lakh hectares this time. The government has increased the minimum support price of cotton by 7.6 percent compared to last year and has fixed it at Rs. 7121 per quintal this time which is for medium fiber variety.

Compared to last year, during the current Kharif season, the cotton production area has come down from 8.35 lakh hectares to 4.75 lakh hectares in Rajasthan, from 5.75 lakh hectares to 4.50 lakh hectares in Haryana and from 1.75 lakh hectares to 99 thousand hectares in Punjab. Cotton is sown in large quantities in these states. In the eighties and nineties, cotton was sown in 7-8 lakh hectares in Punjab, whereas this time the area has come down to less than one lakh hectares. In this state, a decline in the area of ​​cotton has been seen for the last few years.