Chandigadh: Contrary to the push for crop diversification, most cotton growers in the state are finding it difficult to fetch the expected prices for their produce as their stocks have failed to fulfil the criterion fixed by Cotton Corporation of India (CCI). Due to shrinking acreage and reduced yield, the local cotton industry will be forced to bring in cotton from other states to complete their orders.
With cotton touted as a viable alternative to the water-guzzling paddy, state government had announced a subsidy on BT cotton seeds ahead of the season. The cotton crop was, however, hit by pink bollworm in the Fazilka area, besides untimely rains causing widespread damage to the produce last year. It resulted in growers reaping a low average yield of around 4 quintal per acre.
Swaroop Singh, general secretary, BKU (Lakhowal), said the quality of the cotton crop was not expected due to faulty seeds and adverse weather conditions. The CCI is offering a price of Rs 6,770 per quintal against the Centre’s rate of Rs 7,020 per quintal for long staple. Only a small quality of good-quality cotton was bought by private traders for over Rs 7,200 per quintal. “Since the majority of cotton growers were unable to fulfil the CCI’s quality criterion, they were forced to sell their stocks for as low as Rs 5,300 per quintal to private players. Only 20 per cent of the growers’ produce is left unsold. It has come as a major discouragement for cotton growers and many of them are contemplating switching to paddy that would be a disturbing trend,” he said.
The total area under cotton this time shrunk to 1.73 lakh hectares – down from 2.48 lakh hectares in 2022, against the target of 3 lakh hectares. A major factor was the disillusionment of farmers due to the back-to-back past attacks by white fly, pink bollworm over successive seasons and many of them opted for paddy cultivation. There are eight cotton districts in the state of which Bathinda, Mansa, Fazilka and Muktsar make the lion’s share. source : TOI
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