Cotton season likely to get prolonged due to continuous rains in Maharashtra
2024-09-21 14:23:44
Maharashtra's ongoing rains are expected to extend the cotton season
Every year, farmers used to get the required money by selling their first cotton crop during Dussehra and Diwali. However, this year, due to continuous rains, the process of formation and blooming of cotton bolls is getting delayed, due to which the cotton season is likely to get prolonged. According to experts from the Central Cotton Research Institute, this delay can have a significant impact on the cotton crop this year.
Cotton is mainly grown on drip irrigation system in Jalgaon and Khandesh region, due to which farmers sow cotton before the monsoon, in the month of May. Usually, this crop is harvested during Dussehra and Diwali, which helps farmers to raise the required money for the festivals. This year too, the cotton crop is on the verge of ripening, but the boll blooming is being hampered due to rain.
Vivek Shah, an expert from the Central Cotton Research Institute, recently inspected Jalgaon district, in which he observed that 40 to 45 pods were present on the cotton plants, but only two to three of them had bloomed. Due to continuous rains, the crop did not get enough sunlight, which has adversely affected the bolls.
Given this situation, experts believe that this year the cotton season may be extended for a few weeks. This has also reduced the possibility of large arrivals of cotton in the mandis during Dussehra and Diwali, which may affect the farmer and the market.
