Indian cotton sector witnesses all round growth: CAI

02 Jan '15

2 min read

The Indian cotton industry has witnessed an all round growth in 2014-15 and output is projected at around 40.2 million bales (1 bale=170 kg) in the current fiscal year.

According to the Cotton Association of India (CAI), cotton output stood at 15.8 million bales in 2001-02, which has more than doubled in 2014-15.

"We are on the doorstep of surpassing China in cotton output and become the world leader," CAI president, Dhiren Sheth said at the organisation's AGM in Mumbai.

Consumption too witnessed a healthy growth and is estimated at 30.6 million bales during the current fiscal and ranks only next to China, which is world’s number one consumer of cotton.

Sheth said India exported 11.7 million bales of cotton in the previous fiscal year and here too ranks second only to the US in exports.

“The credit for hike in output goes to farmers, who have brought more acreage under cotton, helped by Bt cotton, Technology Mission on Cotton and government policies”, he added.

However, Sheth noted, yields were abysmally low at 540 kilograms per hectare in India, far below the world average of 802 kilograms per hectare.

While having a third of the country's cotton acreage, Maharashtra’s yield per hectare was a dismal 328 kilograms per hectare. Excluding Maharashtra, the all Indian cotton average yield stood at 645 kilograms per hectare. (AR)

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