Marginal Decline in Cotton Sowing; Arrivals of New Cotton Underway

New Delhi. After lagging significantly in the initial stages, the cotton acreage gradually recovered, coming very close to last year's figures. According to data from the Union Ministry of Agriculture, the total area under cotton cultivation this year reached 110.50 lakh hectares, which is 60,000 hectares (or 0.49 percent) less than the previous year's sowing area of ​​111.10 lakh hectares.

Cotton sowing declined across the three producing states of the northern region—Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. A mixed trend was observed in South India, with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana showing varied results; a similar situation prevailed in Gujarat and Maharashtra. While the area under cotton cultivation increased in Telangana and Gujarat, it remained lower than the previous year in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Sowing levels in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh remained largely normal.

Unfavorable weather and monsoon conditions in some states raise concerns about potential damage to the cotton crop. Harvesting of the early-sown cotton crop has already commenced, and the pace of arrivals in the market yards is now picking up.