-The Economic Times
CHANDIGARH: Cotton output in India is likely to drop by up to 15 per cent this year due to insufficient rain and pest attack in two cotton-growing regions of the country. In Gujarat, a major cotton-producing state, the crop has been hit by weak rainfall after a good sowing period, when the monsoon was strong. Rainfall in the region has been patchy and 28 per cent below normal.
Farmers are worried as rainfall over the last one month has been scanty, putting the crop under stress. "The yield could decline by 10 per cent15 per cent due to lower acreage and less rains in Gujarat," said Saurin Parikh of the All India Cotton Gin Press Association.
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