The country is set for a record 310 lakh bales cotton harvest in 2007-08, according to an estimate by the Cotton Advisory Board (CAB), the premier government organisation for cotton. | |
| "With a 6 per cent rise in yield (thanks to high-yielding Bt cotton) and a 4 per cent increase in acreage, the total cotton output in the country is likely to increase at least by 10 per cent to 310 lakh bales in 2007-08 (October - September), Textile Commissioner J N Singh said on the sidelines of the Cotton Advisory Board meeting. |
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| During the current year (2006-07) also, the total production is estimated to touch 280 lakh bales, up 10 lakh bales from the earlier estimated figure. Bt cotton contributed approximately 55 per cent of the output, Singh said. |
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| "Unofficially, Bt cotton's share has touched 75 per cent across the country and is likely to touch the 100 per cent benchmark in Gujarat and Maharashtra, where, according to trade sources, the figure has already touched 80-90 per cent," a participant of the meeting said on Thursday. |
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| The total area under cotton cultivation is likely to be 95 lakh hectares in 2007-08 out of which 46.35 lakh hectares are expected to remain under Bt cotton. |
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| Gujarat is estimated to contribute about 101 lakh bales in the current crop season with a total acreage of 23.90 lakh hectares followed by Maharashtra with 52 lakh bales. However, the final statewise figures may change. |
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| During 2005-06, Gujarat produced 89 lakh bales in a total area of 19.06 lakh hectares, followed by Maharashtra with 35 lakh bales in a total area of 21.75 lakh hectares. The total production that year was 241 lakh bales. |
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| K F Jhunjhunwala, president of East India Cotton Association (EICA), attributed the high yield to favourable monsoon during the last 4-5 years. "The joint initiatives taken by the industry and the government also helped the country bringing into the global cotton map," he said. |
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