Cotton sowing in north to be significantly lower

Farmers have been moving towards other crops, particularly pulses, to safeguard against the disease in cotton crop

The area under cotton cultivation is projected to register a significant fall in north India, where sowing has begun, in view of the huge losses suffered by farmers last year due to the whitefly pest attack as well as the leaf curl virus.

Even as cotton sowing is underway in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, it has been observed that farmers are switching over to other crops, especially pulses (arhar and moong dal). Cotton area in Punjab might come down from 540,000 hectares last year to 320,00 hectares in the current season, indicating a 40 per cent fall.

On the other hand, Haryana might witness a 20 per cent fall in cotton area from last year’s 583,000 hectares, officials in the state agriculture department said.

Besides the whitefly attack, farmers in Punjab, in some cases, also lost their entire crop due to spurious pesticides allegedly distributed by the state agriculture department.

Last year, the Cotton Corporation of India could procure only 840,000 bales (1 bale is 170 kg) compared with 8.67 million bales in previous years due to lower production owing to pest attack and draught in some areas, said B K Mishra, chairman and managing director of Cotton Corporation of India. The Corporation, as on date, has a stock of 376,000 bales, which it would try to liquidate by the end of September.

Paddy and guar are two important kharif crops for farmers, but paddy is not suitable for water-deficit areas and the volatility in guar prices has dissuaded farmers from growing this crop in Haryana.

Depending on the availability of seeds, the area under pulses might increase in these states, said an official.

A committee constituted by Punjab and Haryana has recommended breaking of monoculture; it suggested that farmers grow native varieties of cotton. But, the limited availability of certified seeds of native cotton has restricted the scope of any major shift towards native cotton and Bt, or gentically modified, cotton is grown in most parts.

The prevailing dry weather conditions with intense heat are conducive for cotton crop as pests cannot survive in dry and hot conditions, said Bhagwan Bansal, president of Punjab Ginning Millers’ Association.

Rajasthan might also see a dent in the area under cotton cultivation as canal water is at a low level. Farmers who have alternative sources of irrigation can retain area under cotton, but others might have to divert, said Aditya Chittalangia, president of Rajasthan Ginning Millers’ Association.

While it would be premature to comment on the overall cotton acreage, Dhiren Seth, president of Cotton Association of India, said there had been reports that the state governments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were discouraging farmers from sowing cotton.

Sowing in Gujarat, Maharashtra, central and south India would commence with the arrival of monsoon.

Area under cotton cultivation was 11.9 million hectares in 2015-16 and arrivals of 34.1 million bales were recorded according to the meeting of the Cotton Advisory Board, held on February 2.