According to the data released recently by the Ministry of Textiles, the consumption of cotton by the textile industry was the highest in this decade during the period from October 2023 to September 2024.
Key facts related to cotton agriculture
- Cotton is one of the most important commercial crops cultivated in India and it accounts for about 25% of the total global cotton production.
- Given its economic importance in India, it is also called “White-Gold”.
- About 67% of cotton in India is grown in rain-fed areas and 33% in irrigated areas.
Required conditions for cultivation
- Cotton cultivation requires a long frost-free period and warm and sunny climate. Its productivity is highest in hot and humid climatic conditions.
- Cotton can be successfully cultivated in a variety of soils, including well-drained deep alluvial soils in the northern regions, black soils in the central region and mixed black and red soils in the southern region.
- Cotton has some tolerance to salinity but is highly sensitive to waterlogging, highlighting the importance of well-drained soils in cotton cultivation.
Hybrid and BT Cotton
- Hybrid Cotton: It is cotton created by crossing two parent plants with different genetic characteristics. Hybrids are often formed spontaneously and randomly in nature when open-pollinated plants cross-pollinate naturally with other related varieties.
- BT Cotton: It is a genetically modified organism or genetically modified insect-resistant variety of cotton.
India’s Scenario
- Rank in Global Cotton Production (November 2023): India is the largest producer of cotton globally followed by China and the United States at the second and third positions respectively.
- Most Producing Region (2022-23): Central Region (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh).
Government of India’s Initiatives for Development of Cotton Sector
- Cotton Development Programme under National Food Security Mission (NFSM): It aims to increase cotton production and productivity in major cotton producing states and is being implemented by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in 15 major cotton producing states since 2014-15.
- Cotton Corporation of India (CCI): It was established in the year 1970 as a public sector undertaking under the Companies Act 1956 under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textiles.
- Its role is to stabilize prices by implementing price support measures whenever market prices fall below the price support prescribed by the Government.
- Minimum Support Price (MSP) Formula for Cotton: Introduced a formula of 1.5 times the cost of production (A2+FL) for calculation of MSP to safeguard the economic interest of cotton farmers and to ensure availability of cotton for the textile industry.
- Cotton Corporation of India (CCI): Appointed as a central nodal agency for MSP operations when fair average quality grade cotton seed (kapas) fell below MSP rates.
- Textile Advisory Group (TAG): Constituted by the Ministry of Textiles to facilitate coordination among stakeholders in the cotton value chain to address issues related to productivity, pricing, branding etc. • Cot-Alli Mobile App: Developed to provide information to farmers about MSP rates, procurement centres through a user friendly interface.
- Committee on Cotton Promotion and Consumption (COCPC): To ensure availability of cotton to the textile industry.
Issues related to the cotton sector in India
- Pest attack: In the previous instances, the primary factor responsible for the decline in cotton production was the emergence of pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella).
- When pink bollworm (PBW) larvae attack cotton bolls, it causes cotton plants to produce less cotton and the cotton produced is of inferior quality.
- PBW is monophagous (depends mainly on a single specific type of food), mainly feeding on cotton, which contributes to the development of resistance against Bt proteins.
- Due to the continued cultivation of Bt hybrids, the PBW population developed resistance.
- Several states like Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan have been heavily affected by this pest in the last few years.
- Yield fluctuations: Cotton production in India can be quite unpredictable due to several factors.
- Limited access to irrigation systems, declining soil fertility and erratic weather patterns including unpredictable drought or excessive rainfall contribute to the uncertainty regarding cotton yield.
- Dominance of small farmers: The majority of cotton cultivation in India is carried out by small farmers.
- These farmers often depend on traditional agricultural practices and have limited access to modern agricultural technologies, which in turn affects the overall cotton production.
- Limited market access: A large number of cotton growers in India face barriers to market access and are forced to sell their crop to middlemen at low rates.