The state average, it is believed, would touch about 598 kg per hectare with 19.9 lakh bales already arrived and another 2.1 lakh likely to come by the end of season. In total, it would be four lakh bales short of 26 lakh produced by Punjab last year.

The area under cotton for the current season was 6.25 lakh hectares corresponding to 5.9 lakh hectares in the previous season. The factors like mealy bug attack, water-logging in parts of Muktsar and Ferozepur and use of spurious BT seeds are being attributed for the lesser yield in Punjab.

The success story of VCAP, if it is replicated in the whole state, may well put cotton farmers— most of them struggling to get out of debt trap— and the cash-starved state government in a win-win situation.

According to Rajesh Singla, chief manager (cotton purchase), Vardhman Group, had the entire state achieved what the 70 villages have achieved, Punjab could have produced 30.25 lakh bales, an increase of 8.25 lakh bales from the likely production of 22 lakh bales, from the same area of 6.25 lakh hectares. “This would have meant an additional income of Rs 960 crore to the farmers and Rs 77 crore to the state government in the form of market fees and VAT.

The VCAP, Singla said, reduced the cost of cultivation by using scientific means. “For instance, we do soil testing and on that basis only required quantity of constituents, like phosphorous, are supplied. In case of mealy bug, instead of spraying the whole crop, only the affected plant is treated,” added Singla.

In fact, the replication of VCAP across the country would mean an additional income of Rs 20,000 crore and it would make India frontrunners as far as production of cotton is concerned, he said.

After it started from Nava Pind village in 2003-04, the VCAP created a history of sorts last year, when 50 villages adopted under the programme achieved a yield of 965 klph, which was even higher than the average yield of 925 klph in the USA.

The mealy bug factor seems to have affected the VCAP as well, though marginally. “We hope to counter this problem more effectively in the coming season,” said Singla. “Despite the odd conditions, we achieved the yield that is much more than the national average of 565 klph and 6.8 per cent more than the global average of 770 klph,” he claimed.

Globally, Australia looks forward to lead the world with an expected average yield of 1795 klph, albeit from a relatively small area of around 0.10 million hectare, closely followed by Israel that is expected to harvest a high average yield of 1,736 klph, also from smaller area under cotton cultivation of mere 11,000 hectares. China is the leader with 1,260 klph as far as cotton cultivation on larger scale is done. In 63 lakh hectares, China boasts of producing 4.6 crore bales of cotton, while India targeted 3.1 crore bales for the 2007-08 in an area of 95 lakh hectares.

“Though, we cannot match China in terms of productivity, we can definitely have 4.6 crore bales if scientific model is adopted,” Singla said.