The total availability this year is expected to be in the region of 187-189 lakh bales which includes 5 lakh bales of cotton imported, and the surplus stock of the previous year -- which is 24.02 lakh bales. The unsold cotton this year is likely to be approximately 22 lakh bales as arrivals of another 3-5 lakh bales are expected within the next two months.

As per the recent calculations, of an estimated 28.50 lakh cotton bales of production in northern zone comprising Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, 28.25 lakh bales have already arrived at the markets (mandis).

Gujarat leads this year in cotton with arrivals touching 40 lakh bales as against the production target of 43.15 lakh bales.

Madhya Pradesh mandis have witnessed cotton arrivals of 23.07 lakh bales while the unsold stock is estimated to be0.75 lakh bales.

Maharashtra showed a lower output this year, mainly because of drought that effected yields, at 21.50 lakh bales against the estimated unsold stock of 6.75 lakh bales.

Cotton crop arrivals in Andhra Pradesh, also hit by the drought, has been almost nearer to production estimates at 25.25 lakh bales. The estimated stock lying unsold for the state is 1.10 lakh bales.

Registered cotton arrivals in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu at the end of July have been 8.50 lakh bales and 5.75 lakh bales respectively. The cotton production in both the states had been estimated to be 8.50 lakh bales and 6.00 lakh bales respectively. The unsold stock of cotton in both the states is 0.30 lakh bales each. The arrivals of cotton in the country during the current cotton year is estimated to be (arrivals in the previous year in brackets ) : October- 5.27 (8.75) lakh bales, November- 24.15 (22.05) lakh bales, December-48.70 (55.10) lakh bales,January- 85.00 (88.10) lakh bales, February- 105.00 (117.30) lakh bales,March 123.50 (138.85) lakh bales, April- 136.40 (154.50) lakh bales, May 148.75 (165.45) lakh bales, June 157 ( 174.00) lakh bales, July- 161.43 (175.58) lakh bales, August-161.90 (176.25) lakh bales and September-162.00 (176.25) lakh bales.
It is estimated that a total of about 7.00 lakh bales of cotton will be imported throughout the current cotton year.

Thus the total availability of cotton in the country would be 189.90 lakh bales according to trade estimates whereas it would be 183.38 lakh bales as per Cotton Advisory Board (CAB) estimates.