Gujarat eyes escalation in cotton production

04 Jun '10

2 min read

Witnessing cotton production of over 10.5 million bales this year, the state of Gujarat, India, expects highest cotton production of the country consecutively for the third year.

India, which is the world's second largest cotton producer after China, produced 30 million bales of cotton this year, out of which 10.5 million bales have been produced only in Gujarat. Around 7 million bales out of these 10.5 million are produced in Saurashtra region of the state.

Though the sowing area of cotton is comparatively larger in the state of Maharashtra, production is more in Gujarat, which aids in making it a leader, for cotton production in the country, since three years.

Bt cottonseeds have marked a significant contribution in increasing the state's cotton production. The cotton production, which was just 3 million bales in Gujarat, 10 years ago, is witnessing an escalation since three years on account of the entrance of Bt cottonseeds.

The current area under cotton crop is 2.7 million hectares. Next year, this area is expected to be increased by 5 to 10 percent and the production will also increase to 11.5 million bales, if the climate remains favorable, said Anand Popat, Secretary, Saurashtra Ginners Association.

Sowing and harvesting of the cotton crop in the state mainly depends on rain, and the cotton season here begins in the month of October and ends in the month of June.

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