Despite the cotton pink bollworm attack in many states, cotton output in India, the world’s biggest grower, may increase to a three-year high due to an increase in acreage of the crop this year. Maharashtra Textile Commissioner Kavita Gupta, who heads the state-run Cotton Advisory Board disclosed production is expected to rise to 37.7 million bales of 170 kg each in 2017-18 as against 34.5 million bales a year earlier, after the crop area under cultivation rose from a seven-year low. That would mean the biggest crop since 2014-15 when the harvest was 38.6 million bales, figures from the board record.

A bigger Indian crop and low domestic prices will likely enhance exports from the South Asian country amid greater demand from Pakistan, Gupta said. Shipments to Pakistan are seen rising to 1.8 million bales in 2017-18 from 7,90,000 bales a year earlier, she said. There have been some cases of pest attacks in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, Gupta said. Maharashtra has been the worst affected, with pink bollworms in some areas reducing output by about 15 per cent, she said.

Total cotton exports from India may rise by 16 per cent to 6.7 million bales in 2017-18 from a year earlier, while imports will probably drop by 45 per cent to 1.7 million bales, Gupta noted. The area under cotton this year climbed to 12.2 million hectares (30.2 million acres), a three-year high, from 10.85 million hectares, she added.