'Haryana & Punjab likely to witness drop in cotton yield' - experts
16 Sep '08
1 min read
Cotton yield, this season, in Punjab and Haryana is expected to drop by 11 and 4.5 percent respectively, following decline in the area under cultivation during the Kharif season. Punjab and Haryana put together contribute 12 percent of the total cotton production in the country.
While cotton production in Punjab is likely to hover around 21 lakh bales compared to 23.55 lakh bales achieved last season, Haryana is expected to produce some 18 lakh bales in the season against 18.85 lakh bales secured last year.
More specifically, the actual area under cultivation of cotton crop in Punjab and Haryana has declined by 12 and 14 percent respectively. This is in striking contrast to the records of last year when about 5.32 and 4.17 lakh hectares were sown in the two states respectively.
Reasons have been attributed to unexpected rains, threat of mealy bug pest and anticipation of higher MSP of paddy for such rapid shrinking in area under cotton.