North India's cotton output may jump 23.40% to 58.30 lakh bales: ICAL

After an extensive survey of the crop, ICAL recently announced that cotton production is expected to increase to 58.30 lakh bales in Punjab, Haryana, upper Rajasthan and Lower Rajasthan during the new season 2022-23. Formally, a new season begins in October and ends in September next year. However, the new crop has started arriving quite early to the market this time. The arrival is expected to pick momentum in mid-September.

According to the ICAL estimate, cotton output may reach 19.49 lakh bales in Haryana, up from 15.11 lakh bales in the previous season. The production in Punjab is likely to decrease to 6.89 lakh bales from 7.21 lakh bales of last season. Upper Rajasthan including Surajgarh and Pilani belt can expect crop of 19.65 lakh bales during the new season, compared to 16.26 lakh bales last season. The production is estimated to be 11.48 lakh bales in lower Rajasthan including Bikaner region, against the previous output of 9.86 lakh bales. Rajasthan’s total cotton production is estimated to increase to 33.08 lakh bales from 26.12 lakh bales in the earlier season.

Though cotton sowing area has not increased proportionately, higher production in the entire region is attributed to good progress of the crop. According to the sowing data of Indian ministry of agriculture, cotton sowing area increased slightly to 6.88 lakh hectare from 6.50 lakh ha in Haryana. The acreage decreased to 2.48 lakh ha against 2.54 lakh ha in Punjab. But the sowing area increased to 6.53 lakh ha in Rajasthan from 6.29 lakh ha last season.

“Normally the region produces 55-60 lakh bales on an average. However, late rain and pink ball worm attack severely affected cotton production last year due to which the total production reduced to 47.41 lakh bales during the season ending in September,” Mukul Tayal, president of ICAL told Fibre2Fashion. “The crop progress remained better this year if we ignore limited damage in a few areas. Overall, cotton production is not likely to be affected by heavy rains in earlier months of this season,” he added.

Ashwani Jhamb, vice president of ICAL, said that late rains are not good for cotton crop in north India. The crop received timely rains during the current sowing season. He said that Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) and Hodal-Palwal belt (south Haryana) received new crop last week. The arrival will begin in other regions of Haryana and Punjab next month. The entire region will receive crop in full swing in October.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)