India: Cotton Sowing Begins On A Strong Note

Market News

India: Cotton Sowing Begins On A Strong Note

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 increase in acreages this year, while Rajasthan may report a modest rise in the cotton area from last year's 4.42 lakh hectares. 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. Gujarat, the largest cotton producing state, may see about a 20% jump in cotton acreage, from about 24 lakh hectares last year.

Sowing begins

Sowing, however, has started in the irrigated farms, while most of the non-irrigated regions will begin sowing after the onset of the monsoon. In Southern Karnataka, sowing is almost complete in the key growing region of HD Kote taluk in Mysore district. Better known for growing the extra-long staple variety of DCH 32, planting in the HD Kote taluk has been completed in almost 90% of the targeted area of 31,000 hectares, said officials of the State's agriculture department. Farmers are seen shifting towards Bt hybrids in the region this year, they added.