Bathinda: The Indian Cotton Association Limited (ICAL), a cotton trading organisation, reported that the arrival of raw cotton in the grain markets of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan was nearly halved in the first four months of the 2024-25 cotton marketing season compared to the previous year. From Sept 1 to Dec 31, 2024, the cotton arrival in these three states totaled 16,92,796 bales, down from 32,61,891 bales during the same period in 2023-24 (with one bale equaling 170 kg).
The total output in the three states for the current season is projected to be 30,79,600 bales, as against 49,96,438 bales in the entire 2023-24 marketing season. This represents an expected decrease of nearly 38% in the yield. The reason behind this dip is a nearly 31% decrease in the area under the crop in these states compared to the previous year. The decrease in acreage is due to successive pest attacks on the crop. The largest decrease has been reported in Punjab, as the area under cultivation has come down to below 1 lakh hectares.
Of total 16,92,796 lakh bales in the three states, 78,843 bales arrived in Punjab from Sept to Dec-end against 2,34,765 bales in the four months during the previous season. In Haryana, 4,24,803 bales arrived during this period against 9,62,660 in the previous year. In Rajasthan, 11,89,150 bales arrived during this period as against 20,64,466 bales during the corresponding period in the last year.
The production in Punjab has been estimated at nearly 50% of the previous year, with 1,96,500 bales expected compared to 3,93,514 bales recorded in the previous season. In Haryana, the production of 9,26,600 bales is expected against 15,38,129 bales during the previous season. In Rajasthan, the production of 19,56,500 bales is expected in the ongoing season compared to 30,64,795 in the previous season of 2023-24.
In Punjab, the area under cotton crop reached below even 1 lakh hectares, at 99,700 hectares against nearly 2 lakh hectares in 2023-24. As per data sourced from the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), in Haryana, the area under crop has been reduced to 4.76 lakh hectares in 2024-25 from 5.78 lakh hectares, while in Rajasthan, the area under crop has come down to 6.62 lakh hectares in 2024-25 from 10.04 lakh hectares in 2023-24. In these three states, the area under cotton crop has plunged from 17.96 lakh hectares in 2023-24 to 12.38 lakh hectares in the current season.
An official from ICAL stated that while the area in the three states has decreased by 31% compared to the previous year, the output is expected to decline by 38%.
State | Area | Estimated output
Punjab | 99,700 ha | 1.96 lakh bales
Haryana | 4.76 Lha | 9.26 lakh bales
Rajasthan | 6.62 Lha | 19.56 lakh bales
Total | 12.38 Lha | 30.79 lakh bales
MSID:: 117082611 413 |
