India expects cotton exports of 40 L bales in 22-23; disparity hovers

“The export of cotton is expected to be 40 lakh bales during the current season. But the same may increase or decrease depending on the availability of surplus cotton in the country, overseas demand, and price parity,” Union minister of state for textiles Darshana Jardosh informed in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha last week. 

She said that Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Telangana are the major cotton producing states which produce about 65 per cent of the country’s cotton. 

An analysis of current prices of cotton shows that Indian cotton is facing a disparity as it is around 15 per cent costlier than global cotton. ICE cotton March 2023 was traded at US cent 81.73 per pound or ₹150 per kg, while Indian cotton was valued at ₹175 per kg. In the current market scenario, India cannot export large quantities of cotton. 

India exported cotton worth $11.710 million in October 2022 which was lower than the export of $12.837 million in September and $13.573 million in August 2022, according to Fibre2Fashion’s market insight tool TexPro. 

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)