Gujarat is second after Maharashtra in cotton sowing area
07-Oct-2024 02:35 PM
Gandhinagar. Gujarat, a state located in the western part of the country, is second after Maharashtra in terms of cotton sowing area, while it is first in its production because the average yield rate is high there. Cotton has been cultivated in about 26.80 lakh hectares in Gujarat and its production is expected to reach 92 lakh bales. The average yield rate of cotton is also expected to increase to 599 kg per hectare.
It is noteworthy that World Cotton Day is being celebrated today i.e. on 7 October. The Agriculture Minister of Gujarat has said that when this state was formed in the year 1960, the average yield rate of cotton was 139 kg per hectare, which has increased with time and has now reached 589 kg per hectare. This clearly indicates the excellent research being done in the field of cotton, the farmer-friendly policies of the government and the tireless efforts of the farming community. On the strength of integrated efforts, Gujarat has reached the top in cotton production. The excellent production has led to a huge increase in the income of farmers. According to the Agriculture Minister, after the development of Hybrid-4 cotton variety by a Surat research firm in the year 1971, a new era of hybrid cotton started in the entire country and as a result, the domestic yield rate of cotton started increasing rapidly. An official statement said that in the 2021-22 season, Gujarat became the second largest cotton producing state in the country when its sowing area was 22.45 lakh hectares and total production was recorded at 73.88 lakh bales (each bale of 170 kg). At that time the average yield rate of cotton was 559 kg per hectare. According to the Agriculture Minister, Gujarat will become the largest cotton producing state in India in the coming years as many incentives are being given to the farmers by the government and research and development work is also going on. BT cotton is cultivated in Gujarat. It is also cultivated in other states of the country.