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The rupee opened flat at 95.72 per dollar.On Tuesday, the Indian rupee opened flat at 95.72 against the US dollar, having closed at the same level the previous day.The Sensex, which closed Monday at 77,369.11, opened at 77,295.49 and was trading at 77,332.24, down 36.87 points or 0.05 per cent, as of 9.23 AM. The Nifty 50, which ended the previous session at 24,219.05, opened at 24,175.75 and was at 24,177.90, down 41.15 points or 0.17 per cent, at the same time.Read More :- Pest Attacks on Soybean and Cotton Crops Raise Farmer Concerns

Pest attacks on soybean and cotton crops, along with cloudy weather, have heightened farmers' concerns.Farmers in the district are worried due to an increasing pest infestation affecting soybean and cotton crops. Crop growth is also being hampered by persistent cloud cover and a lack of rainfall. Infestations of various pests have been observed in both major Kharif crops, which have now reached a critical stage of development.During this Kharif season, various crops have been sown across an area of 4.18 lakh hectares in the district. This includes 1,19,626 hectares dedicated to soybean and 2,31,961 hectares to cotton. The district has recorded 446.4 mm of rainfall since June; while sowing was initially delayed due to a late start to the rains, farmers completed the process once the rainfall arrived.Currently, the soybean crop has reached a height of 1 to 1.5 feet in most areas and is at the flowering stage. Mild infestations of leafhoppers, stem borers, and tobacco caterpillars have been observed on the crop.Meanwhile, the cotton crop has grown to a height of 1.5 to 2 feet, with leaf and flower development underway in some areas. Mild infestations of aphids, leafhoppers, and whiteflies have been reported in the cotton crop.District Agriculture Superintendent Arvind Uparikar has advised farmers to regularly monitor their crops and—should any pest infestation be detected—seek guidance from Agriculture Department experts to implement appropriate management measures.READ MORE :- India Eyes Global Cotton Price Influence

Indian Cotton Should Become a Global Price Influencer: CCI ChiefIndia should aim to become a price influencer in the global cotton market by improving productivity, quality, transparency and price discovery, said Lalit Kumar Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), in Coimbatore on Friday. Inaugurating a biannual cotton conference organised jointly by the Indian Cotton Federation and the Indian Cotton Association, Gupta said India had the scale to become a globally competitive cotton producer, but its output currently does not meet domestic consumption needs. Under the Mission on Cotton, about five lakh hectares will be targeted in the first year to raise productivity. High-density planting trials across 25,000 hectares have recorded yields of 15 quintals of seed cotton per acre, he said. Gupta stressed that Indian cotton must meet global requirements for consistent and contamination-free fibre. The industry must work collectively to reduce contamination, he said. He also called for greater transparency and reliable data for better price discovery. “We need actual data, and this information should be integrated with the entire system,” he said. The CCI procured 105 lakh bales during the current cotton season and sold 94 lakh bales. It currently holds around 17 lakh bales. K.V. Srinivasan, former president of the International Textile Manufacturers’ Federation, said India needed a technology-led boost in cotton yields to compete with Brazil, the US and China. With India accounting for about 38% of the world’s cotton-growing area, higher yields could help the country emerge as the world’s leading cotton producer, he said.read more :- Cotton Prices Likely to Stay at ₹75-80 per Kg During Harvest: TNAU

Cotton prices likely to hover around ₹75-80 per kg during harvest: TNAUAccording to the Domestic and Export Market Intelligence Cell (DEMIC) of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), the price of good-quality cotton is expected to remain around ₹75-80 per kilogram during the upcoming harvest season.TNAU has arrived at this estimate based on an analysis of cotton prices at the Mulanur Regulated Market over the past 20 years. The university has advised farmers to consider this projected market price when making decisions regarding cotton sowing.India ranks first globally in terms of cotton cultivation area and second in production and consumption. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare's second advance estimates for 2025-26, cotton has been cultivated across 114.82 lakh hectares in the country. Production is estimated at 49.455 lakh tonnes, with a productivity of 431 kg per hectare.Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh are the major cotton-producing states.In Tamil Nadu, cotton was cultivated on 1.02 lakh hectares during 2024-25. Production stood at 3.80 lakh tonnes, and productivity was 350 kg per hectare. Tiruvarur, Virudhunagar, Mayiladuthurai, Ramanathapuram, Tiruchirappalli, and Salem are the key cotton-producing districts.Trade sources indicate that the southwest monsoon and the volume of arrivals from major producing states could influence cotton prices. Climatic conditions, such as El Niño, may also impact the monsoon and production levels; therefore, actual market prices could differ from TNAU's estimates.

On Monday, the Indian rupee weakened by 11 paise against the US dollar, closing at ₹95.75 per dollar.The domestic currency opened at ₹95.64 against the US dollar and fluctuated during the trading session. It eventually closed at ₹95.75, down 11 paise from the previous close.At close, the Sensex was down 171.72 points or 0.22 percent at 77,369.11, and the Nifty was down 32.95 points or 0.14 percent at 24,219.05. About 1970 shares advanced, 2278 shares declined, and 199 shares unchanged.read more :- The rupee strengthened by 6 paise against the dollar to open at 95.64.

The rupee had closed at 95.70 on Friday, whereas today it opened at 95.64 per dollar, marking a gain of 6 paise.Sensex opened at 77,629.56 against previous close of 77,540.83 and was trading at around 77,774.29, up 233.46 points or 0.30 per cent, at the time of reporting. Nifty opened at 24,285.05 against the previous close of 24,252 and was trading at around 24,300 at the time of reporting.Read More :-   CCI Raises Cotton Prices by ₹600

CCI Raises Cotton Candy Prices by ₹600 per Candy; Weekly Auction Sales Cross 1.03 Lakh BalesThe Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) increased its cotton selling prices by ₹600 per candy during the week ending August 21, 2026, indicating firm demand from textile mills and cotton traders.During the week, CCI sold approximately 1,03,600 bales of cotton from the 2025–26 crop, with auction activity picking up sharply toward the end of the week.Day-Wise CCI Auction PerformanceAugust 17, 2026 (Monday)CCI started the week with sales of 2,400 bales, including 700 bales purchased by mills and 1,700 bales by traders.August 18, 2026 (Tuesday)A total of 3,700 bales were sold. Mills purchased 2,800 bales, while traders bought 900 bales.August 19, 2026 (Wednesday)CCI sold 13,900 bales, with mills accounting for 7,200 bales and traders purchasing 6,700 bales.August 20, 2026 (Thursday)Auction sales surged to 41,600 bales. Mills purchased 23,800 bales, while traders bought 17,800 bales.August 21, 2026 (Friday)The week ended with the highest daily sales of 42,000 bales. Mills purchased 27,200 bales, while traders bought 14,800 bales.Following the latest auctions, CCI's cumulative cotton sales for the 2025–26 season reached approximately 93.25 lakh bales, underscoring continued demand from domestic textile mills and cotton traders.

Cotton and Oilseed Sowing Lags; Farmers' Hopes Now Rest on RainfallAs of August 21, sowing of cotton and oilseeds during the Kharif season has remained slightly behind the figures for the same period last year. According to data from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, cotton has been sown across 108.45 lakh hectares, against a normal area of 125.51 lakh hectares. Last year, this figure stood at 108.73 lakh hectares, meaning the acreage is lower by 0.28 lakh hectares this year.Total oilseed sowing stood at 188.38 lakh hectares, representing 94.15% of the normal area of 200.08 lakh hectares. This marks a marginal decline of 0.31 lakh hectares compared to the 188.69 lakh hectares sown last year.Among oilseeds, the acreage for the most significant crop—soybean—stands at 121.35 lakh hectares, a decrease of 1.41 lakh hectares from last year's 122.76 lakh hectares. However, there has been an increase in the acreage for groundnut, sesame, and sunflower; groundnut reached 48.79 lakh hectares, sesame 10.81 lakh hectares, and sunflower 1.10 lakh hectares. Meanwhile, the area under castor cultivation dropped to 5.88 lakh hectares.According to the IMD, the spell of rain is likely to continue in Central India. Widespread rainfall is expected in western Madhya Pradesh, while rainy conditions may persist in eastern Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh over the coming days. While the rainfall will benefit soil moisture, waterlogging and drainage issues could pose challenges for farmers in areas receiving heavy downpours.Rainfall, crop growth, and final sowing figures in the coming days will determine the extent to which the initial shortfall in acreage impacts overall production.read more :- Rupee slips 04 paise to close at ₹95.70 against US dollar

The Indian rupee weakened by 04 paise against the US dollar on Friday, closing at ₹95.75 per dollar.The domestic currency opened at ₹95.66 against the US dollar and remained volatile during the trading session. It eventually settled at ₹95.75, down 04 paise from its previous close.At close, the Sensex was up 3.11 points or 0.00 percent at 77,540.83, and the Nifty was up 20.15 points or 0.08 percent at 24,252.00.read more :- Telangana Cotton Sowing Surpasses Normal

Cotton and Oilseed Sowing Increases in Telangana Compared to Last YearIn Telangana, cotton sowing has surpassed the normal acreage, whereas oilseed sowing still lags behind the normal area. According to data from the Agriculture Department as of August 19, 2026, cotton has been sown across 48.19 lakh acres in the state, against a normal area of 47.42 lakh acres. This represents 101.63% of the normal area. By the same date last year, cotton sowing covered 44.92 lakh acres; thus, the cotton acreage has increased by 3.27 lakh acres, or 7.28%, this year.Oilseed sowing has been carried out on 3.88 lakh acres against a normal area of 4.48 lakh acres, which is 86.72% of the normal area. However, compared to the 3.67 lakh acres recorded during the same period last year, the oilseed acreage has increased by 0.21 lakh acres, or 5.72%, this year.Among oilseeds, soybean—the major crop—has been sown on 3.72 lakh acres against a normal area of 4.17 lakh acres. This stands at 89.21% of the normal area. By the same date last year, soybean sowing covered 3.60 lakh acres; this year, there has been an increase of 0.12 lakh acres, or approximately 3.33%.Thus, cotton sowing in Telangana has crossed the normal acreage during the current Kharif season. Meanwhile, while the acreage for oilseeds and soybean has increased compared to the same period last year, both crops still trail behind their respective normal areas.read more :- Cotton Price Surge Hurts Textile Industry

Unwarranted Surge in Cotton Prices Puts Textile Industry in DistressThe textile industry is facing difficulties due to an unwarranted rise in cotton prices, despite the central government waiving import duties on the commodity. Kiran Tarlekar, Chairman of the Vita Powerloom Industrial Cooperative Union, has urged the government to intervene immediately and curb the price hike. Cotton prices have currently reached a record high of ₹70,000 per candy.Tarlekar stated that, according to a report by the All India Cotton Association, the closing stock of cotton for this season is projected to be 9.3 million (93 lakh) bales—68 percent higher than the previous year. Meanwhile, the central government has waived import duties on cotton until October 26. Consequently, cotton imports are estimated to reach a record 6.3 million (63 lakh) bales this year, compared to approximately 4.1 million (41 lakh) bales imported last year.With the new cotton crop expected to hit the market from October 26, it was anticipated that domestic cotton prices would decline or, at the very least, remain stable. Contrary to this expectation, cotton prices—which were hovering around ₹56,000 per candy—have surged to a record ₹70,000 per candy in recent days.This one-sided price surge has plunged the entire textile value chain into uncertainty and distress, even though there is adequate cotton stock in the market, imports have increased, and the arrival of the new crop is imminent. Industry stakeholders suspect that large traders are hoarding significant stocks in warehouses to create an artificial shortage, thereby driving up prices.Separately, the dyeing industry in Rajasthan has been shut down for the past two months due to a Supreme Court order. This has created a problem of accumulated fabric stocks for the simple powerloom sector. Meanwhile, the automatic powerloom industry is also grappling with various challenges. Consequently, decentralized power looms in Vita, Ichalkaranji, Malegaon, Solapur, and Bhiwandi are operating at limited capacity, and the demand for cotton yarn has also been affected.If this one-sided surge in cotton prices continues, the state's yarn mills—like the power loom industry—could also face a situation where they are forced to halt production. Industry stakeholders have urged the government to examine the cotton price and stock situation and take necessary measures.read more :- The rupee opened 4 paise stronger against the dollar at 95.66.