The area under cotton sowings for the next season particularly in the northern belt of the country has, according to informed sources, fallen by 10-20 per cent sources place the reduction in cotton acreage to the extent of 25 per cent in Punjab and 20-25 per cent in Haryana. The area under cotton in Rajasthan may be somewhat higher, yet there may be an overall decline of 10-20 percent in the northern part of the country.It appears that despite the timely onset of monsoon and availability of irrigation facility, this reduction in the area was due to the cotton cultivators' bitter experience in the previous season when pests and plant diseases considerably damaged the crop. Many farmers, therefore, have reportedly diverted their land to paddy and sugarcane. Anti-farmer policies pursued by the textiles ministry has also been partially responsible for such diversion of some area from cotton to other crops.
In some parts of the central belt comprising Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, sowings for thenext season have been completed but they are still in progress in some other parts. This region has received adequate rains.
The sowings for long staple cotton are, therefore, expected to be more. The area under cotton in Gujarat is expected to go up by 5-10 per cent. In Maharashtra the area may remain more or less the same. Likewise, it may be almost the same as in the previous season in Madhya Pradesh. A clearer picture in this regard is yet to emerge.
In the southern belt comprising Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, there have been adequate and timely rains in Karnataka and most parts of Andhra Pradesh except the Guntur area. According to preliminary indications there is likely to be an increase in the area under cotton in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka for the coming season. However, sowings were yet to start in Tamil Nadu. It was, therefore, somewhat early to make any guess about sowings in the entire southern belt.
Under this situation it was difficult to draw at this stage a clearerpicture of the overall cotton acreage in the country as a whole for the ensuing season.
It may be interesting to note that the area under cotton in the country for the 1997-98 season was about 4.82 per cent lower at 87.26 lakh hectares compared with 91.66 lakh hectares in the earlier season. Along with pests, plant diseases and unseasonable rains, this was the additional factor responsible for the lower production of cotton in 1997-98 compared with that in the earlier season. It might be interesting to note that while the CAB has placed cotton production in 1996-97 at 177.90 lakh bales it may be 180.50 lakh bales, if one goes by the actual pressing figures for the year available now.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Printer-friendly page
