Weather Likely To Hit Cotton Crop In North

The unpredictable weather prevalent in north India since the last week of April is likely to affect production of cotton during the 1997-98 crop year (Oct 97-Sept 98), industry sources said.

Sowing of cotton for the year 1997-98 generally begins in mid-April, lasting till mid-June and rains and hailstorm, which have hit the region since April last week, have led the sowing schedule to go awry, they said.

A North India Cotton Association (Nica) report said: All is not well for the time being as far as next crop of northern zone, comprising Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, is concerned.

Nica, in its latest report, said a five to seven per cent decline in the area under cotton cultivation was likely in Punjab.

Quoting reports from Haryana and Rajasthan, it said the area under cotton cultivation was expected to be lower in those states also.

Already the Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur has predicted that inclement weather and leaf curl disease were likely to affect 15 to 20 per cent of cotton production in north India.

North India accounts for 27 per cent of the countrys cotton production with 41 lakh bales (of 170 kg each) being produced during the current crop year.