Cotton imports in 2015-16 may have been the highest in a decade, industry insiders said. Imports may see a new high this fiscal as the overall area where cotton has been sown has declined 8.7 per cent, they said.
According to the Union agriculture ministry, area under cotton as on August 5 was 96.48 lakh hectare as against 105.68 lakh hectare a year ago. India's cotton production in 2015-16 declined to 338 lakh bales (one bale of 170 kg each), down 12.4 per cent from 386 lakh bales in the previous year, to hit a six-year low, according to last month's update of Cotton Advisory Board (CAB).
NK Sharma, managing director at Gujarat State Co-operative Cotton Federation, said the industry expects cotton production to further fall to 310-315 lakh bales in 2016-17. Scientists and industry insiders said cotton production is expected to fall in key states such as Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana.
"As compared to its normal area of about 28 lakh hectares, sowing was completed on 22.8 lakh hectare in Gujarat as on August 8," said Keshav Kranthi, director at Central Cotton Research Institute (CICR), Nagpur. "Area in Punjab is down by over 25 per cent as compared to its normal area," he said.
Higher production in Maharashtra, where weather conditions are looking favourable as of today, is not expected to fully compensate for the fall in Gujarat and Punjab. Pink bollworm in Gujarat and white fly in north India had led to severe crop damage last year.
This year, CICR scientists say, white fly infestation is restricted to pockets such as Fazilka and Abohar in the north. But, the late sown cotton in Gujarat, which is 30 per cent of the total cotton sown, is likely to get affected by pink bollworm on a large scale.
