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Indian Cotton Federation (ICF) has estimated the cotton production in the country at 36.1 million bales (of 170 kg each) in the 2013-14 season even as prices are likely to ease after 'Sankranthi'.
Gujarat will be the top producer with 12.5 million bales, followed by Maharashtra (70 lakh bales) and Andhra Pradesh (65 lakh bales), as per estimates arrived at its board meeting last night, ICF president J Thulasidharan said in a release issued here.
The Central Zone, comprising Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, would have a crop size of 5.5 million bales each, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka (1.8 million bales each), Tamil Nadu (0.5 million bales) and Odisha (0.3 million bales), he said. Though the crop has been delayed, it is likely to pick up and prices are expected to ease after Sankranti, Thulasidharan added.
