Reviving ‘white gold’: How regenerative cotton farming can be a gamechanger in North India
2025-04-26 13:51:55
Reviving White Gold: Regenerative Cotton's Promise for North India
Once acclaimed as “white gold”, cotton—the backbone of India’s textile economy—is facing a crisis in North India. Farmers in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan are grappling with a massive drop in area, yield, and quality due to persistent pink bollworm (PBW) infestation, whitefly attacks, cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV) and soil-borne diseases such as boll rot and root rot. With erratic weather patterns, including prolonged droughts and erratic rainfall, the cotton belt of North India is at a crossroads.
Against this backdrop, a phenomenal demonstration of regenerative cotton farming in Haryana’s Sirsa district has shown a promising way forward, even as the cotton sowing season in North India has just begun.
The initiative, launched at the Cotton Association of India (CAI) farmer training programme on April 11-12 in Mumbai, drew the attention of leading agricultural experts, including CAI President Atul S Ganatra, Indian Society for Cotton Improvement (ISCI) President Dr C D Mai and SABC's Dr Bhagirath Chaudhary.
The scientists adopted multiple methods, including drip fertigation and mechanical detopping (flat beds), and achieved a yield of 16.70 quintals per acre; drip fertigation, raised beds, polymulch and mechanical detopping, and obtained 15.97 quintals of yield per acre; drip fertigation, flat beds and canopy management (mepiquat chloride) and obtained 15.25 quintals of yield per acre; while with conventional control plots they obtained only 4.21-6.53 quintals of yield per acre.
Dr Chaudhary said, “Micro irrigation techniques, especially drip systems, helped participating farmers save irrigation water by up to 60 per cent compared to traditional flood irrigation methods. Manoj Kumar, a farmer from Gindran village, said he had brought 1.5 acres of land under regenerative cotton cultivation under the guidance of Dr Dilip Monga, former head of ICAR-CICR RRS, Sirsa, and Dr Chaudhary. Kumar recorded a yield of 16 quintals per acre. In contrast, the yield from the conventionally sown field was only 8 quintals per acre, even though the same seed was used in both plots – the only difference was the technology.
In this study, the major technological interventions were drip irrigation and fertigation, which ensured precise supply of water and nutrients, improved plant condition and reduced wastage, Ganatra said. Pink bollworm (PBW) management using PB Knot technology was very helpful for mating disruption and pheromone traps and reduced insecticide use by 18-27%. Climate-smart devices were used that encouraged solar-powered irrigation and water storage tanks to enhance sustainability, the scientists said. And the main emphasis was on disease prevention using disease-resistant varieties and pre-emptive strategies of disease control. The result was better germination (up to 95 per cent), healthier crop growth, less chemical dependency and more sustainable cotton farming.
Experts believe that the Gindran demonstration could be a model example of reviving cotton cultivation across north India, provided certain systemic supports are ensured, including mainstreaming drip fertigation as a standard farming practice, scaling up integrated pest management (IPM) approaches, promoting climate-resilient infrastructure such as solar pumps and water tanks, and ensuring access to finance, inputs, and training for small and marginal farmers.
“Apart from boosting farm incomes, this model offers hope to cotton harvesters (who remove seeds and debris from cotton), spinners, and the textile industry, which have been badly hit by the drop in cotton supply in the north. In Punjab alone, several ginning units have shut down due to low cotton arrivals. By restoring productivity and area under cultivation, the regenerative cotton model can help north India reclaim its position as a major cotton-producing region — a much-needed boost to both livelihoods and the rural economy,” Ganatra said.
Can regenerative cotton farming bring back the glory days of ‘white gold’ in north India? The farmers in this demonstration say ‘yes.’ Now, it’s about scaling up the impact.
