A decline in the sowing area this year is expected to result in lower cotton production, which has alarmed the textile industry. According to cotton associations, India would produce 302 lakh bales of cotton (170 kg is equivalent to one bale).
Cotton production in Gujarat decreased to 23.71 lakh hectares from 26.82 lakh hectares the year before. Given the state’s extensive ginning and spinning infrastructure, industry experts stated that new seed varieties needed to be introduced in order to increase output.
Gujarat’s cotton cultivation area varied from 25.49 lakh hectares in 2022 to 26.82 lakh hectares in 2023 before dropping to 23.71 lakh hectares in 2024, according to information from the agricultural department.
“Cotton productivity has been impacted over the years, and this year there is a decrease in the sowing area,” stated Ajay Shah, secretary of the GujCot Association. The Cotton Association of India (CAI) projects that India would produce about 302 lakh bales of cotton in 2024–2025, down from 325 lakh bales in 2023–2024. Cotton production will be among the lowest in previous years. In 2023–2024, Gujarat produced over 90 lakh bales of cotton; in 2024–2025, that number will drop to 80 lakh bales.
“We hope for around 325 lakh bales of production this year, and we hope for a better yield in some areas due to various reasons,” stated Jayesh Patel, senior vice-president of the Spinners’ Association Gujarat (SAG). The entire crop is consumed by the local industries. Due to a decline in global cotton prices, cotton prices have now dropped to about Rs 53,800 per candy (356 kg), according to Patel.
He added by saying that cotton is still costly in India, so the industry is not competitive on the global market. The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) may make significant purchases of cotton at minimum support price (MSP), but the CCI should also prepare a selling policy that is clear and keep a quota in reserve to ensure the local industry is supported.
