Farmers in Haryana Disillusioned with Cotton Farming; Acreage Drops by 65% in Seven Years
Hisar – Cotton, once considered a major cash crop for farmers in Haryana, is currently facing a crisis. Farmers are turning away from cotton cultivation due to persistent financial losses, the growing menace of the pink bollworm, and heavy crop damage caused by rainfall. The impact of this shift is clearly visible in the state's cotton acreage.
In the 2019-20 season, cotton was cultivated across 8.01 lakh acres in Haryana; by 2025-26, this figure had dropped to just 2.84 lakh acres. In other words, the area under cotton cultivation has shrunk by approximately 65 percent over seven years. The cultivated area has nearly halved in the last three years alone. This season, the area sown with cotton has hit its lowest level in eight years.
The Agriculture Department has made several efforts to promote cotton cultivation. Awareness programs were conducted in major cotton-producing districts under the 'Promotion for Cotton Cultivation in Haryana' campaign. Financial assistance of ₹2,000 per acre for micronutrients and ₹4,000 per acre for cultivating indigenous cotton varieties is also being provided to farmers. Despite these measures, farmers remain reluctant to return to cotton farming.
According to Dr. Atma Ram Godara, Joint Director (Cotton), farmers have been incurring consistent losses in cotton cultivation over the past few years. Rainfall during August and September causes the most significant damage to the crop, while the infestation of the pink bollworm remains a major challenge.
A report by Dr. Vinay Mahla, an agricultural scientist at Haryana Agricultural University, indicates that the average cost of cotton cultivation for farmers was ₹40,024 per acre, whereas the total income from sales and by-products was only ₹24,882. Consequently, farmers suffered an average loss of ₹15,142 per acre. Experts believe that if better and pest-resistant varieties are not developed, the scope of cotton cultivation in the state could shrink further in the coming years.
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