Cotton output in Punjab, Haryana to dip 40% due to pest attack

With whitefly-pest attack causing extensive damage to cotton in Punjab and Haryana, the combined output of this cash crop in both states is estimated to dip by 40 per cent, industry experts have said.
"There is going to be a substantial decline in cotton output in Punjab and Haryana as the crop has been damaged extensively by whitefly attack," Indian Cotton Association Limited President Mahesh Sharda said today.
The combined output of cotton in Punjab and Haryana is expected to be 22 lakh bales as against 39 lakh bales last season, which will be over 40 per cent less.
Cotton output in Punjab is estimated to be about seven lakh bales as against production of 14 lakh bales in last season.

Similarly, cotton production is likely to be about 15 lakh bales in neighbouring Haryana compared with last season's output of about 25 lakh bales, Sharda said.
The impact of whitefly attack on cotton is visible on crop arrivals in mandis. "So far we have arrivals of 85,000 bales which includes cotton from Punjab, Haryana and lower parts of Rajasthan) as against 1.35 lakh bales arrived in corresponding period of last year," he said.

"In Sirsa (Haryana) mandi, the current cotton arrivals are 500-600 bales per day whereas we received 3,000 bales per day in corresponding period of last year," Haryana Cotton Ginners Association President Sushil Mittal said.

In Punjab, 1.36 lakh hectares out of total 4.50 lakh hectares of cotton acreage was damaged by whitefly attack. In Haryana, out of 5.83 lakh hectares, 3.06 lakh hectares was in the grip of pest attack.
The heavy damage in cotton crop has even forced the farmers to resort to 'Rail Roko' protest in Punjab as eight farmers' outfits have been squatting on rail tracks to press the state government for higher compensation for crop loss in the state.
Punjab government has already disbursed Rs 644 crore of compensation to affected growers whereas in Haryana, special girdawri has been announced to assess exact damage.

Despite extensive cotton damage, problems for growers may not end as cotton prices are unlikely to remain on higher side in view of depressed prices of yarn and "poor" health of spinning mills, industry insiders said.
Raw cotton is fetching at present Rs 3,475 per maund (37.32 kg) in Punjab as against Rs 3,550 per maund last year.
Notably, last season cotton farmers received shock as they got prices in the range of Rs 3,900 to 4,600 per quintal as against their expectation of more than Rs 5,000 per quintal.