The Cotton Advisory Board (CAB) has set up a sub-committee that will work on ensuring sustainability of cotton production. This follows concerns that actual cotton production could turn out to be lower than estimates. Earlier the CAB had estimated that cotton production this season (October 2015 to September 2016) would touch 352 lakhbales.
Howeveractual production could be lower than the estimated level, with the average yield now being 500 kg per hectare as against 570 kg a hectare a few years ago.
The price of Shankar – 6 cotton, a variety popular with textile mills, was Rs33,300 a candy on April 1, going up to Rs 36,500 a candy by the end of April, before settling at Rs 35,000.
However, there is no complaint of shortage of cotton. There are adequate stocks. The area under cotton in the Punjab, Rajasthan, and Haryana is expected to decline, even as farmers in Maharashtra and Telengana show little interest in the crop.
India is the world’s leading cotton producer. A clearer picture is expected to emerge after the monsoon sets in. Rains over cotton growing belts are expected to be bountiful for the first time in three years.
