Punjab Farmers All Set To Increase Area Under Cotton Cultivation Due To Higher Prices

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Punjab Farmers All Set To Increase Area Under Cotton Cultivation Due To Higher Prices

Farmers in Punjab’s southern districts of Firozpur, Faridkot, Fazilka, Muktsar, Bathinda, Barnala, Mansa and Sangrur plan to sow cotton after harvesting of wheat towards mid-April, according to the state’s agriculture department. While Punjab’s agriculture department expects the sown area to increase to 4 lakh hectares, even ginners and traders are confident about it crossing 3.5 lakh hectares.

The change of mood has had mainly to do with prices. Prices of raw un-ginned cotton averaged Rs 6,000 to Rs 6,200 per quintal in 2016-17, as compared to Rs 3,800 to Rs 4,200 during the previous year. Many farmers harvested yields of 11 to 12 quintals per acre, compared to the state’s normal average of 7 to 8 quintals. In fact, Punjab’s cotton production in terms of lint fibre actually rose from 7.50 lakh bales (of 170 kg each) in 2015-16 to 9.5 lakh bales in 2016-17, despite a sharp fall in area.

Farmers in Maur tehsil of Bathinda district have estimated that 70% of farmers in that area, which has about 2,000 acres of agricultural land, will return to cotton this year. They had all opted for paddy cultivation last year after the severe White Fly attack infestation of 2015. This is expected to be good news for Punjab’s cotton ginning industry, which used to employ 40,000 people a decade ago.