Farmers seen bringing more area under the fibre crop this year
Ahmedabad / Bengaluru: Sowing of cotton has begun on a strong note in the key growing regions of North India such as Punjab and Haryana, and Southern Karnataka, for the 2017-18 season.
Buoyed by the high prevailing prices, farmers are seen bringing in a larger area under the fibre crop and the seed industry expects acreages this year to increase by up to a fifth over the previous year.
Ashwani Jhamb, Director, Indian Cotton Association (ICA), said the overall cotton acreage will increase on favourable price conditions.
North to the fore
“But there will be a sharp surge in cotton cultivation in Punjab, where farmers are shifting from paddy, arhar (black gram) guar and partly from maize. The government has set a target of 4 lakh hectares of area in Punjab, as against 2.65 lakh hectares witnessed last year," said Jhamb.
Last year, North India’s total acreage was about 12 lakh hectares, out of which Haryana had nearly 5 lakh hectares under cotton.
Experts see Haryana and Punjab showing an increasein acreages this year, while Rajasthan may report a modest rise in the cotton area from last year’s 4.42 lakh hectares.
Cotton prices are ruling at around Rs. 41,800 per candy (each of 356 kg), while raw cotton prices are hovering between Rs. 5,375-5,600 per 100 kg. Prices have stayed firm during most of the 2016-17 season on steady demand.
Output estimate
Latest estimates by the Agriculture Ministry have pegged the output for the 2016-17 season at 325 lakh bales of 170 kg each over previous year’s 300 lakh bales.
More than the price support, the availability of sufficient water and the near-normal monsoon prediction have sparked optimism across the cotton growing community.
In the North Region, the sowing, which began in mid-April is in full swing, while first picking is expected in the second half of September.
Cotton Association of India (CAI) President Nayan Mirani maintained that the monsoon would play a crucial role in making the cotton story a success for farmers this year. “Last year, we had seen some decline in acreage in North India, owing to pest attack and erratic weather. This year, the weather seems favourable and also the farmers are geared up to tackle any pest attacks,” said Mirani.
Though Mirani maintains that the cotton acreage will go up this year, the quantum of increase in the acreage will only be confirmed after the onset of the monsoon, predicted for later this month.
Gujarat, the largest cotton producing state, may see about a 20 per cent jump in cotton acreage, from about 24 lakh hectares last year.
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