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Cotton Market to Remain Stable: ICAC ForecastThe International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) has maintained the global outlook stable for the 2025/26 cotton season. It forecasts production at 26 million tonnes and consumption at 25.7 million tonnes. Trade volumes are expected to rebound, rising by 2 per cent from the previous season to around 9.7 million tonnes. This increase will be driven by higher carryover stocks and projected mill demand.ICAC's regional production forecasts show upward revisions for Brazil, the United States and West Africa. However, these gains are likely to be offset by a slight decrease in Chinese production. Despite the decrease, China is expected to lead global production in 2025/26 with 6.3 million tonnes. After a record yield of 2,257 kg/ha in the current season, it is expected that China will continue to lead global production with a slight decrease in production.Supply remains stable, but global cotton consumption continues to be under pressure due to tariffs, regulatory uncertainty and increasing competition from alternative fibres. ICAC warns that the cotton trade outlook, although positive, could be impacted by geopolitical trade tensions and evolving tariff structures. ICAC Secretariat price forecasts put the average A index at 81 cents per pound for 2024/25.For the upcoming 2025/26 season, preliminary estimates suggest a wide price range between 56 and 95 cents per pound, with a midpoint forecast of 73 cents. These estimates are based on current market fundamentals and were provided by ICAC economist Lorena Ruiz. ICAC continues to monitor developments in production, consumption and trade that could influence cotton market dynamics in 2026.read more :- Maharashtra Faces Shortage of Desi Cotton Seeds

Maharashtra: Desi Cotton Seeds Shortage: Desi, Sidhi Cotton Varieties in Shortage in StateJalgaon : While the issue of Bt cotton technology becoming obsolete in Bollgard 2 is a matter of concern among farmers in the state, there is a demand for Desi or Sidhi cotton varieties. But there is a shortage of Desi Sidhi cotton varieties in the state.There is a demand for these varieties in Vidarbha, Marathwada and Khandesh. In these areas, Desi or Sidhi cotton varieties are sold in some cotton research centres and universities. But there is no response from the farmers. Farmers want Sidhi or Desi cotton varieties produced by some companies.But since the concerned companies cannot afford to sell cotton seeds at a certain price in the state, the concerned companies are officially selling these seeds in other parts, i.e. Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab etc. There, Sidhi or Desi cotton varieties of these companies are getting a price of Rs 1200 to Rs 1500 per packet (capacity of one packet is 475 grams).A domestic cotton variety producing company had proposed to the state government or the agriculture department that its Sidhi or Desi cotton varieties should be sold in the state at a price of Rs 1,400 per packet. But senior officials of the agriculture department rejected this proposal.Since the sale of BT cotton seeds in Bollgard 2 in the state has been fixed at Rs 901 per packet, the domestic or Desi cotton varieties of the concerned company cannot be sold at a higher price than this, it was said. Due to this, a situation is being created that the supply and sale of Sidhi varieties of some companies is not being done in the state.The agriculture departments of Jalgaon district corresponded with another Sidhi or Desi cotton variety producing company regarding the supply of seeds. But the concerned company showed its inability to supply the seeds.Farmers of Madhya Pradesh, GujaratMany farmers of Khandesh are going to Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat for this because Desi Sidhi cotton varieties are not available in the local market. From there they are bringing Desi and Sidhi cotton varieties at a price of Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 per packet. Profiteering, illegal cotton seed suppliers are taking advantage of this and Desi, Sidhi cotton varieties are being imported illegally from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.The state needs 20 to 22 lakh packets. Desi or Sidhi cotton varieties are expected to be planted in at least seven to eight lakh hectares in the state. If Desi or Sidhi cotton varieties become available officially, this area may increase further. Because many farmers are avoiding planting Bollgard 2 type of BT cotton varieties due to pink bollworm, low production and increasing cost. The state needs at least 20 to 22 lakh Desi or Sidhi cotton varieties. Agricultural universities and cotton research centers cannot meet this need. On the other hand, since the high-demand Desi, Sidhi varieties are not available in the state market, black marketing is going on.We tried to make Desi, Sidhi cotton varieties available in Jalgaon district. We corresponded with producers and suppliers of some indigenous, straight cotton varieties. One company has expressed its inability to supply the varieties. But illegal trade and black marketing system is the main point of this.read more :- Rupee falls 16 paise at open to 85.75 against US dollar

 Rupee opens 16 paise down at 85.75 against dollar on FPI outflowThe currency opened at 85.75 against the dollar after ending the previous session at 85.59.read more :- Indian Rupee lower 7 Paisa, Ends at 85.59 per Dollar

The Indian rupee on tuesday lower 7 paise to close at 85.59 per dollar, while it opened at 85.52 in the morning. The BSE Sensex index see-sawed in a 1,200-point range as it hit a high of 81,774 and a low of 80,575 during the day. The index, eventually, closed at 80,737 as it fell 636 points or 0.78 per cent. read more :- India seeks WTO consultations with Indonesia on cotton yarn safeguards

India wants to discuss cotton yarn protections with Indonesia at the WTO. India on Monday sought consultations with Indonesia under the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules on the extension of its safeguard measures on cotton yarn. These consultations, however, do not fall under the WTO’s dispute settlement system.India has 11.85% share in Indonesia’s cotton yarn imports.Last month, Indonesia cited certain unforeseen developments such as an increase in Indian cotton yarn exports worldwide, which in turn led to an unexpected surge in Indian cotton yarn exports to Indonesia.As a country having a substantial trade interest in the export of the textile product, India “hereby requests consultations” with Indonesia pursuant to a provision of the WTO’s Agreement on Safeguards with view to reviewing the information and exchanging views on the extension of the measure.“India would like to propose that consultations mentioned above take place virtually from 10 June to 13 June 2025 or on a mutually convenient date and time,” it added.read more :- Rupee Falls 14 Paise to 85.52 vs Dollar

Rupee Opens 14 Paise Lower at 85.52/USDIndian rupee opened lower by 14 paise at 85.52 per dollar on Tuesday versus Monday's close of 85.38.read more :- India's monsoon stalls after early start; to pick up again around June 11

India’s Monsoon Halts, Set to Resume June 11Rainfall over India is likely to remain subdued for over a week as the annual monsoon's progress has stalled after its earliest onset in 16 years, though it is likely to pick up again from June 11, two senior weather bureau officials said on Monday.The monsoon, the lifeblood of the country's nearly $4 trillion economy, delivers nearly 70% of the rain that India needs to water farms and replenish aquifers and reservoirs.Nearly half of India's farmland, which has no irrigation, depends on the annual June-September rains for crop growth.Monsoon rainfall will be subdued in the next few days, but from June 11-12, the monsoon will strengthen and start covering the remaining parts of the country, said S. D. Sanap, scientist with the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Pune office.Monsoon onset over Kerala occurred on May 24 and quickly covered southern, northeastern and some parts of western India ahead of its usual schedule, but its progress has stalled for the past few days, according to an IMD chart that tracked the monsoon's progress.A weather system is likely to develop in the Bay of Bengal around June 11 that will strengthen the monsoon and create favourable conditions for its progress in the northern parts of the country, said another weather department official.Summer rains usually fall in Kerala around June 1 before spreading nationwide by mid-July, allowing farmers to plant crops such as rice, corn, cotton, soybeans and sugarcane.The early arrival of the monsoon brought cheer to farmers, though the recent and sudden stall in rainfall surprised them, said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trade house."Farmers are holding off on planting soybean, cotton, and other summer crops until there's more rain. They're waiting for the soil to have enough moisture," the dealer said.read more :- Indian rupee ended 20 paise higher at 85.38 per dollar on Monday versus previous close of 85.58.

Rupee  closed  Higher at 85.38 Against DollarAt close, the Sensex was down 77.26 points or 0.09 percent at 81,373.75, and the Nifty was down 34.10 points or 0.14 percent at 24,716.60. About 2065 shares advanced, 1903 shares declined, and 159 shares unchanged.READ MORE :- Indian rupee opened marginally higher at 85.54 per dollar on Monday versus Friday's close of 85.58.

After closing at 85.58 on Friday, the Indian rupee opened slightly higher on Monday at 85.54 to the US dollar.The Sensex opened at 81,214.42 against its previous close of 81,451.01 and dropped 797 points, or nearly 1 per cent, to an intraday low of 80,654.26. The Nifty 50 started its day at 24,669.70 against its previous close of 24,750.70 and dropped 0.91 per cent to an intraday low of 24,526.15.Read More :-  AI traps offer real-time defence against pest, reviving hopes for Punjab’s cotton farmers

AI Traps Revive Hope for Punjab Cotton FarmersArtificial intelligence pheromone traps will be placed in eight locations in Bathinda, Mansa and Muktsar for the second consecutive kharif season to audit its efficacyA cutting edge technological intervention offering real time surveillance on the pink bollworm (PBW) in the cotton crop may give a new lease of life to the conventional cash crop of Punjab.Developed by the Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR), AI (artificial intelligence) pheromone traps will be stationed at eight different locations in the cotton growing districts of Bathinda, Mansa and Muktsar for the second consecutive kharif season to audit its efficacy.Principal entomologist of Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) Vijay Kumar said the digital intervention gives hourly crop updates of the pest via a mobile phone.Alerted by the moth data, farmers can promptly use insecticides to curb the PBW attack on the cotton crop.“In the new generation AI trap, a camera is fixed in the pheromone trap that takes regular pictures of the moths that stick to the trap due to the pheromones’ lure. These images are then transmitted in real time to a remote server in the cloud and to the farmer,” said Kumar.The expert said that images of pests are analysed using a machine learning algorithm that has been trained to identify and count PBWs caught in traps.Kumar, who is monitoring the CICR project in Punjab, said that the technology was introduced last year and its results of two consecutive seasons will be analysed before recommending it for wider use.Since 2022, the cotton crop acreage in Punjab has witnessed a sharp downfall after PBW infestation.Experts said that even the genetically modified pest-resistant variety of Bt Cotton (Bollgard II seed) has been falling prey to the pest it was created to resist, farmers are staying away from its cultivation due to economic losses.Punjab state agriculture department’s deputy director (cotton) Charanjeet Singh said that the innovative approach may have the potential to significantly reduce economic losses for farmers grappling with PBW infestations.Practice of installing pheromone traps is prevalent in various parts of the cotton-growing region. But it was observed that counting and monitoring pests caught in traps has manpower challenges. But the smart monitoring system enables timely pest management advice to cotton growers, ensuring efficient control and keeping damage below economic threshold levels,” he added.A progressive farmer from Khiali Chailanwali in Mansa, Jagdev Singh, talks about the effectiveness of the AI trap installed at his one-acre cotton field last year for testing by the authorities.“Experts say that the AI trap costs ₹35,000 - ₹40,000 and it would be a major challenge in acceptability. But the technology may be supported as the results were highly impressive. An AI-powered pest detection system can alert a farmer to incoming pest infestations in real-time, enabling them to take swift action and effectively save their crop. I witnessed that the system can help a farmer solve the pest problem better than traditional measures often driven by guesswork,” he added.read more :- CCI Cotton Sale Update for Season 2024-25

The Indian rupee ended 22 paisa lower on Friday at 85.57 to the dollar, while it opened at 85.42 in the morning.At open, the Sensex was down 182.01 points or 0.15 percent at 81,451.01, and the Nifty was down 82.90 points or 0.33 percent at 24,750.70. About 1,751 shares advanced, 2,087 shares declined, and 114 shares were unchanged.