Around 23.65 lakh hectares have already been covered under the crop
Heavy rains in some parts of the state after delayed monsoon have brightened the prospects for cotton crop in Gujarat. Cotton traders as well as government bodies are of the view that cotton acreage is likely to cross 25 lakh hectares mark in the fiscal 2009-10.
As per the data available with the state agriculture department, nearly 23.65 lakh hectares of land has already been brought under cotton cultivation in Gujarat, which is the largest cotton producing state in the country. Cotton acreage had stood at 21.61 lakh hectares during the same period in 2008-09.
"Considering the present sowing trend, we expect cotton acreage to surge to 25 lakh hectares this Kharif season as against 24 lakh hectares last financial year", said Arun Dalal, owner of Arun Dalal & Co, an Ahmedabad-based leading cotton trading firm.
Cotton farmers reaped rich dividends last year in the wake of higher minimum support price (MSP). "Also, the time has gone for sowing groundnut and other crops, which means now farmers will turn to cotton crop", he added.
The areas, where heavy rains washed away crops, are likely to see shift to crops such as castor and cotton. "However, farmers are finding it difficult to get seeds for castor sowing. Similarly, many farmers dropped the idea of opting for rice or sugarcane cultivation due to delay in monsoon in the state. All this augurs well for increased cotton acreage in Gujarat", stated Kishor Shah of Central Gujarat Cotton Dealers Association.
Traders estimate that cotton output in 2009-10 may rise to 1.05 to 1.07 crore bales as compared to 92.50 lakh bales in the fiscal 2008-09, which saw decline in production as against 1.05 crore bales in 2007-08. According to industry players cotton sowing is progressing well across the country with Andhra Pradesh, Maharashra and Punjab registering higher acreage this year.
