Sharp 84% Rise Estimated in Cotton Surplus Stock

12-Jul-2025 12:45 PM

Mumbai. A leading trade organization, the Cotton Association of India, has estimated that the gross outstanding surplus stock of cotton will increase to 55.59 lakh bales (each bale weighing 170 kg) in the current 2024-25 marketing season—an 84 percent rise from the 30.19 lakh bales stock at the end of the 2023-24 season.

According to a statement by the association, the ginning and pressing of cotton may reach 311.40 lakh bales this season, up from the earlier estimate of 301.19 lakh bales.

The estimate was revised upward by 5 lakh bales for Maharashtra, 1.5 lakh bales each for Gujarat and Telangana, and 1 lakh bale each for Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan. This increase is attributed to improved supply in wholesale markets and the ongoing sale of stock held by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI).

In the current marketing season, the CCI has procured around 100 lakh bales of cotton at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) from farmers in major producing states, and has already sold 56 lakh bales. The sale process is ongoing.

Between 1 October 2024 and 30 June 2025, a total of 356.76 lakh bales of cotton were available in the country, which included 296.57 lakh bales from domestic production, 30 lakh bales through imports, and a carryover stock of 30.19 lakh bales.

Out of this, 233.50 lakh bales were consumed domestically, and 15.25 lakh bales were exported, leaving a surplus of 108.01 lakh bales at the end of June 2025. Of this, 32 lakh bales were held by textile mills, while the remaining 76 lakh bales were with the CCI, Maharashtra Federation, multinational firms, traders, ginners, and exporters.

The association has revised the estimate of total cotton supply for the full October–September marketing year 2024-25 from 370.34 lakh bales to 380.59 lakh bales. It has also increased the domestic consumption estimate from 305 lakh bales to 308 lakh bales.