Indian Agriculture Crisis: Cotton is a major cash crop in India and is popular in the country. Cotton is also called white gold. Cotton is cultivated mainly in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana. This crop is important for farmers as well as industry. The country's largest agro-based industry, yarn and textile production, is based on cotton. The livelihood of millions of people depends on this industry. As the area under cotton crops has decreased by more than 2 million hectares in the last five years, it is a matter of concern for farmers, research institutes, government and industry. The main reason for the reduction in area is loss-making cotton cultivation.
Cotton cultivation has been running at a loss for the last several years due to low productivity, rising production costs and low prices. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this crop has lagged behind in terms of mechanization. Therefore, all the work from planting cotton to harvesting has to be done by laborers. There is a huge shortage of workers in the state and cotton growers are worried because they are not getting any workers despite paying high wages for picking cotton. In such a situation, the question arises that why should cotton be cultivated?
This is also the result of the government's misguided policy from input to export in the last two and a half to three decades. The policy of the central government is that if cotton, oilseeds and pulses are produced in the country, then they should be imported as per the requirement. When the prices of cotton start increasing, the industrial sector also gives priority to import. But fulfilling the requirement by import has never been a good option, especially in today's changing global situation.
The newly appointed director of CICR claimed that efforts will be made to provide advanced hybrid varieties at the departmental level to increase the productivity of cotton and cooperation will be taken from organizations across the country to control the pink caterpillar. He will definitely make efforts in this direction, but he will also have to find an answer to who stopped this organization from doing so in the last two and a half decades. CICR has repeatedly announced that it will identify the reasons for low productivity and develop action plans to increase productivity. But they have not been successful so far. The central and state governments have also failed repeatedly in this. There is also turmoil in the matter of cotton picking machines in the country.
If cotton productivity is to be increased in the country and this crop has to become profitable for the producers, then extensive research has to be done on its varieties. Producers should get BT cotton directly. Adoption of advanced farming techniques in cotton cultivation has to be increased. Cotton cultivation has to be brought under irrigation. Producers have to effectively control pink caterpillar. All operations from planting of cotton to harvesting should be mechanized.
Intensive cultivation of indigenous varieties of long-term crops has been found to increase productivity. In such a situation, intensive cultivation of indigenous varieties will have to be increased to 20 percent. Cotton prices in the country should be determined on the basis of the percentage of cotton present in it. The entire process of 'cotton to cloth' should take place in the same area where cotton is grown. Producers should have a share in the value addition of cotton. Such measures will make cotton cultivation more cost-effective and contribute to the development of the sector.
