Recent News

Farmers face great problems due to increase in cotton importsBENGALURU: Concerns over rising cotton imports and growing distress among domestic growers reverberated in the Lok Sabha Wednesday, with Raichur MP Kumar Naik flagging mounting challenges faced by cotton farmers, especially in Karnataka.During Question Hour, Naik said that despite India being the world’s second-largest cotton producer, farmers were grappling with uncertainty although procurement under minimum support price (MSP) scheme was expanded over the years. He said a sharp rise in imports is undermining domestic growers.“India is the world’s secondlargest cotton producer after China, with Brazil close behind,” Naik said. “Yet, in a deeply alarming development, govt data shows that cottonimports from Brazil surged by over 1,000% year-on-year over the last two years. Similarly, imports from the US also increased 200% during the same period.” Highlighting the impact on farmers, he said: “They are struggling with falling prices, rising input costs, and continued policy uncertainty. If this continues, we risk being heavily dependent on imports, thereby weakening our farmers and compromising longterm agricultural security.”In reply, textiles minister Giriraj Singh told the House the Centre remained committed to protecting farmers’ interests. “Via MSP and based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP), state and Central inputs, and productioncosts, we ensure farmers receive a minimum of 1.5 times the cost of production for their produce,” he said.Singh said that for 2025-26 season, MSP was fixed between Rs 7,710 and Rs 8,110 per quintal depending on quality — an increase of Rs 589 per quintal over the previous year. He also said authorities had opened 571 procurement centres across 149 districts in 11 cotton-growing states, and that over 90.5 lakh bales had been procured so far.Clarifying on the import policy, Singh said 11% duty on cotton was exempted between Aug and Dec 2025. “Subsequently, it was reintroduced in Jan 2026,” he said.But Naik argued that the temporary duty exemption had adverse consequences, emphasising domestic cotton prices had crashed amid global tariff pressures. Pointing to Karnataka’s performance, he said the state recorded the highest yield in the south, surpassing the national average. He said districts like Kalaburagi, Raichur and Yadgir had great potential if backed by strong institutional support.read more :- Textile industry affected by rising waste cotton prices

Recycled textile industry under pressure as waste cotton prices surgeCOIMBATORE: The recycled textile sector is coming under increasing strain due to a sharp rise in waste cotton prices, according to M. Jayapal of the Recycle Textile Federation.He said Indian cotton for the 2025–26 season, which opened in November at around ₹51,000 per candy, is now trading near ₹56,000. When cotton prices had earlier peaked at ₹56,000 per candy in September, spinning mills were selling comber waste—the primary raw material for open-end (OE) spinning mills—at about ₹102 per kg. Since then, comber waste prices have climbed steadily to ₹123–₹125 per kg, even as cotton prices have seen only moderate movement.Despite this sharp increase in input costs, yarn prices have not risen in tandem. During the Diwali season, OE yarn was sold at around ₹165 per kg for 20s warp and ₹148–₹150 per kg for weft. At present, even after a ₹23 per kg rise in waste cotton costs, mills are still being forced to sell warp yarn below ₹165 and weft below ₹155 per kg, resulting in sustained losses over the past three months.Jayapal added that labour shortages, higher production expenses, and weak demand for 30s count yarn have further worsened the situation. As a result, several mills have either reduced capacity or shifted focus to hosiery yarn production. Over 100 mills have reportedly exited grey yarn production in the last two years.The federation has urged the Centre and state government to introduce a transparent tender-based system for selling cotton waste, aimed at protecting MSMEs and ensuring stability across the textile value chain.M Jayapalread more :- CCI buys cotton worth ₹11,800 crore from Telangana

CCI Procures 29.50 Lakh Bales Cotton Worth Rs.11,800 Cr in Telangana.Hyderabad: The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has procured about 451 lakh quintals kapas, which is equivalent to 90 lakh bales under Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations. Out of which, 148 lakh quintals kapas equivalent to 29.50 lakh bales was procured in Telangana, valuing Rs.11,800 crore, through 8.60 lakh direct farmer transactions during cotton season 2025-26, according to the Ministry of Textiles.Out of 148 lakh quintals kapas procured in Telangana, 5.80 lakh quintals, valuing Rs.463 crore, have been procured in Mancherial district, and 1.21 lakh quintals, valuing Rs.97 crore, seed cotton has been procured in Peddapalli district. During cotton season 2025-26, additional procurement centres were opened by the CCI based on the prescribed eligibility criteria. Three procurement centers each were opened in the districts of Mancherial and Peddapalli after assessment of parameters such as minimum of 3,000 hectares under cotton cultivation, availability of a functional APMC, and the presence of at least one ginning and pressing factory.Opening of procurement centres by CCI is undertaken on the basis of these objective criteria and operational requirements to ensure effective MSP operations. The CCI in association with the Ministry of Textiles, prescribed norms for opening procurement centers to expand MSP outreach. These norms aimed to ensure that cotton farmers in every Taluka or Mandal having at least 3,000 hectares under cotton cultivation, a functional APMC, and at least one ginning or pressing factory are able to avail MSP benefits, while also reducing transportation distances and waiting time for farmers.Accordingly, during the cotton season 2025–26, under the jurisdiction of CCI’s three branches— Adilabad, Warangal, and Mahabubnagar—122 procurement centers were opened across 30 districts of Telangana, as compared to 110 centers during 2024–25. This included three procurement centers in Luxettipet, Chennur, and Bellampally in Mancherial district and three procurement centers in Peddapalli, Sulthanabad, and Kamanpur in Peddapalli district. This was stated by the Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita while responding to a question raised by MP Vamsi Krishna Gaddam on cotton farmers in Telangana in Lok Sabha two days ago.read more :- Rupee opened 21 paise stronger at 90.49 per dollar

 Rupee opens 21 paise up at 90.49/USD Indian rupee opened higher by paise 21 at 90.49 per dollar on Thursday against previous close of 90.70.read more :- Rupee weakens against dollar, falls 10 paise to close at 90.70.

On Wednesday, the Indian rupee closed at 90.70 against the dollar, while it had opened at 90.60 in the morning.At the close, the BSE Sensex stood at 84,233.64, down 40.28 points or 0.05 per cent, while the NSE Nifty50 edged higher to 25,953.85, up 18.7 points or 0.07 per cent.read more :- CAI: Impact on India due to US-Bangladesh deal

CAI President Vinay Kotak, while talking to CNBC Awaaz, told how the US-Bangladesh deal can affect India's textile market.The duty exemption given by America is given only in proportion to the value of cotton, that is, if the total price of an apparel is ₹ 100 and the value of cotton in it is ₹ 20, then the benefit of 18% duty exemption is given only on that ₹ 20. This means that the profit is only around 3–4% of the total value.Bangladesh's total exports are about 25% to America, while about 50% of its apparel is being exported to Europe. Whereas India's exports to America are about 15%. India can benefit from the new policies that America is making—especially towards reducing dependence on China. Therefore, there is a possibility that India's share (market share) will increase slightly, not decrease.On the other hand, till now Bangladesh had the benefit of zero duty in Europe, due to which India was at a loss. But from January 1, 2027, there will be no duty on India's exports to Europe. This will give us an opportunity to expand significantly in the European market and we can leave Bangladesh behind to a great extent in that area.India's cotton is going to Bangladesh because we have a locational advantage — goods from India take only 8 days to reach Bangladesh, while the same goods from the US take at least 45 days. For this reason, the mills there are buying cotton from India even at slightly higher prices. If road route exports from India resume, we will not face any significant difference.Just as there is a duty-free quota for Australian cotton, there should be a duty-free quota for American cotton as well. Then there will be no problem in competition. At present, there is about 11% duty on American cotton, which is burdensome (difficult) for us. Even if we import it under advance license, we have to suffer an average loss of 4.5% duty in the form of incentives.Therefore, either the entire duty on cotton import should be abolished, or at least a duty-free quota of 5 to 10 lakh bales should be fixed for imports from America.read more :- Cotton Corp cuts fiber prices by 3%

India's Cotton Corp cuts fiber prices by up to 3% to boost salesAmid a softening trend in international prices, Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has cut the price of the 2025-26 crop by ₹1,400-1,700 per candy (356 kg) to boost its sales. The state-run unit has also reduced the pickup period for buyaers from 60 days to 30 days."The improvement in prices is in line with international prices," CCI Chairman and Managing Director Lalit Kumar Gupta said. The state-run unit started selling the 2025-26 crop on January 19 and has sold around 4 lakh bales so far, amid a lukewarm response from the industry.Besides, CCI's procurement has so far reached 93 lakh bales of 170 kg each, Gupta said. The procurement will continue till the end of this month. CCI is still carrying out procurement work in states like Telangana, Maharashtra and Gujarat.output estimates unchangedGupta said local inflows are continuing and the industry will continue buying ahead of the market. Daily arrivals are estimated to be between 1.25-1.5 lakh bales. “Our sales generally increase only after March,” Gupta said.Ramanuj Das Boob, sourcing agent in Raichur, said arrivals in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Telangana are good, while arrivals in Karnataka are declining. “Market prices are lower than the CCI price, and traders are getting the cotton of their choice from the market,” Das Bub said.Meanwhile, the Cotton Association of India (CAI), which recently raised the crop estimate for 2025-26 by about 2.5 per cent or 7.5 lakh bales of 170 kg to 317 lakh bales on higher than estimated production in Maharashtra and Telangana, on Tuesday retained the estimate.CAI has pegged total cotton consumption during 2025-26 at 305 lakh bales of 170 kg each by the end of September, compared to 314 lakh bales last year. Cotton consumption by the end of January is estimated at 104 lakh bales, CAI President Vinay N Kotak said in a statement.CAI has projected a year-end surplus of 122.59 lakh bales for the 2025-26 season, up 56 per cent year-on-year on record imports of 50 lakh bales during the year. By the end of January, imports stood at 35 lakh bales and exports at 6 lakh bales.read more :- Cotton arrivals affected due to fall in production in Wardha

Cotton arrivals in Wardha have been affected due to huge decline in production.Wardha: Due to huge decline in production, there has been a sharp decline in the arrival of cotton in Wardha district this season, affecting the farmers as well as the cotton processing industry.During the 2024-25 season, the district recorded arrival of around 1.11 lakh quintals of cotton. However, in the ongoing 2025-26 season, the arrivals so far are limited to only 45,000 quintals, officials said.Currently, the CCI rate for cotton is Rs 8,010/quintal, while private procurement centers are buying cotton at around Rs 7,900/quintal. Farmers are facing difficulties as new CCI registrations have been stopped, although CCI procurement is expected to continue till February 28.Vilash Chandankhede, a farmer from Goji village, said the decline in cotton production is mainly due to poor quality seeds. He said, "Adulterated seeds are available on a large scale in the market, due to which farmers are not able to get the expected yield." He said that many farmers purchased seeds from Andhra Pradesh.Chandankhede said that this year the crop was damaged due to excessive rains, due to which the cotton bolls did not flower. “The arrival of cotton in the market is light, resulting in low weight,” he said, adding that high input costs and non-availability of the expected rate of Rs 10,000/quintal have put farmers in financial crunch.Sameer Pedke, secretary of Wardha Agricultural Produce Market Committee, said that although cotton production exists in the district, fluctuating prices have discouraged farmers from bringing their produce to the market. “About 25% of farmers who have storage facilities have stored cotton at home,” he said.Piyush Thakkar, ginning mill owner of Vaigaon, said cotton does not require extra water, but continuous rains till September and October have caused major damage to the first crop.read more :- Increasing impact of pests on BT cotton

Insect resistance in Bt-cotton increasing: MinisterIf the government's reply in the Lok Sabha is any indication, insect resistance to Bt-cotton is increasing in India.In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ram Nath Thakur said that approximately 95 percent of the area under cotton cultivation is occupied by Bt cotton (Gossypium hirsutum).Although Bt cotton continues to control a major cotton pest [the American bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera)], the pink bollworm has developed resistance to the Bt protein and is becoming a major pest in all cotton-growing regions. He said that sucking pests have also been increasing in the cotton ecosystem over the past few years.Higher expenditure on pesticidesThe minister said that farmers now spend more on pesticides than during the initial phase of Bt-cotton's introduction.Citing studies on the long-term impact of Bt-cotton in India, he said that Bt-cotton technology replaced a large portion of the area under various varieties with Bt-hybrids because the technology was only available in hybrid form in India.Noting that Bt-cotton adoption has been shown to be a poor indicator of yield trends, he said it was a strong indicator of the initial reduction in pesticide use.Asked about the steps taken by the government to protect indigenous cotton varieties, Thakur said that the ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur, is involved in germplasm conservation, documentation, and utilization of wild cotton species, perennial cotton species, and indigenous cotton species.India witnessed a massive surge in cotton imports during the 2024-25 crop year (October-September). Replying to a question on cotton imports in the Lok Sabha, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh said that India imported 41.39 lakh bales worth ₹11989 crore in the crop year 2024-25, while 15.19 lakh bales worth ₹5483 crore were imported in 2023-24.During the crop year 2024-25, India imported 8.56 lakh bales of cotton worth ₹2908 crore from the US. This was followed by 8.54 lakh bales worth ₹2131 crore from Brazil and 8.49 lakh bales worth ₹2367 crore from Australia.read more :- Record cotton imports in 2024-25, US top supplier

Record cotton imports in 2024-25, US biggest supplierBathinda: India's cotton imports hit a record high in 2024–25 (Oct–Sept), surging to 4.13 million bales worth Rs 11,989 crore — nearly three times the previous year's volume. The surge marked the highest import level in five years, with the US emerging as the biggest contributor, Union textiles minister Giriraj Singh said in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, while quoting data from the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics.Except for 2023–24, India imported the maximum quantity of cotton from the US in the last five years. In 2024–25, the US exported 8,56,000 bales, followed by 854,000 by Brazil and 849,000 by Australia. In 2023–24, Australia remained the biggest exporter when it exported 358,000 bales, followed by 268,000 bales imported from the US. In 2022–23, the US exported a maximum of 457,000 bales; in 2021–22, it exported 773,000 bales; and in 2020–21, the USA exported a maximum of 430,000 bales to India.Even as the country witnessed a big jump in cotton imports in 2024–25, the Union govt exempted 11% import duty on cotton in 2025–26. This included 5% basic customs duty, 5% agriculture infrastructure and development cess (AIDC), and 1% social welfare surcharge, from August 19, 2025 to December 31, 2025, and it was reinstated from January 1, 2026.Farmers in Punjab said they were already facing precarious conditions, and the exemption from import duty lowered cotton prices in the local market.Due to this, the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) made certain purchases at the minimum support price.The reply said the govt protects cotton farmers by announcing MSP, based on Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP) recommendations, state and central inputs, and production costs, ensuring that farmers receive a minimum of 1.5 times the cost of production (A2+FL) for their produce. The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) undertakes procurement under MSP whenever market prices fall below MSP. For the 2025–26 cotton season, CCI opened 571 procurement centres across 149 districts in 11 cotton-growing states, and procured over 9,054,000 bales so far.Duty exemptions on cotton imports ensure sufficient availability of quality raw material, supporting value addition, boosting employment, and enhancing exports, thereby generating higher indirect revenue.Lok Sabha member G Kumar Naik asked for details of cotton imported by the country and details of the top 10 importing countries during each of the last 5 years; whether the govt exempted import duties on cotton for the current financial year; whether any assessment or survey was conducted by the govt regarding the impact of cotton import duty exemption on domestic cotton farmers; the measures being proposed by the govt to protect the interest of cotton farmers while simultaneously addressing the requirements of the textile industry; and details of the impact of cotton duty exemption on govt revenue.read more :- Rupee opens 02 paise down at 90.60

Rupee opens 02 paise lower at 90.60/USD Indian rupee opened lower at 90.60 per dollar on Wednesday versus previous close of 90.58.read more :- Atul Ganatra: Impact of US-Bangladesh trade on India's textile