Cotton production is expected to witness a decline of 3-4 per cent this year to about 350 lakh bales due to deficit rainfall, decline in acreage, shift to other cash crops and pink bollworm attacks, according to Cotton Association of India (CAI) president Atul Ganatra. September and October are crucial and will offer a real picture of production, he said.

The association had estimated the cotton output for the ongoing season (October-September) at 365 lakh bales in its July estimate.

Gujarat is facing 7 per cent rainfall deficit and the overall the sowing of cotton in the country till August 27 stood at 116 lakh hectares compared to 124.50 lakh hectares in the same period last year, Ganatra said. The overall sowing is likely to reach 120 lakh hectares this season, he told a news agency.

In Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Karnataka, farmers have shifted from cotton to crops like soybean. In Maharashtra, the cotton crop in 7 lakh villages out of the 21 lakh cotton-growing villages has been found to be infested with the pink bollworm, he added. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India

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