At 17.79 lakh bales, Haryana's estimated cotton yield up 35% this year

Deepender Deswal

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Hisar, December 19

The cotton production in the state this year is estimated to be around 35 per cent more than the last year. Against the production of around 13.16 lakh cotton bales last year, the production this year is estimated to be around 17.79 lakh bales.

Factors at play

• Normal rainfall during the plucking season in Sirsa district, which has the highest area under cotton
• Low impact of pink bollworm in cotton producing areas of the state

The lint yield has also improved as compared to last year. Around 451 kg per hectare lint has been produced this year against 352 kg per hectare last year, government sources claim.

The improvement in cotton yield this year comes despite the fact that neighbouring Punjab recorded its lowest-ever production this year. This is being attributed to normal rainfall during the plucking season in Sirsa district, which has the highest area under cotton, and low impact of pink bollworm. Sirsa alone accounts for more than half of the area under cotton cultivation in the state.

According to officials at the Central Institute of Cotton Research and the Haryana Agriculture Department, cotton growers in the state suffered the worst setback in 2021 since 2015-16. Last year, the state produced 13.16 lakh bales on 6.35 lakh hectares.

The cotton prices had spiralled last year due to low production, which attracted more farmers this year and thus the area under cotton increased marginally from 6.35 lakh hectares to 6.49 lakh hectares, officials said.

Dr Surender K Verma, Director of the Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR), Sirsa, said the impact of whitefly and pink bollworm was lower in Haryana as compared to Punjab.

Only certain pockets were affected in Haryana, while Punjab’s Bathinda and other parts witnessed damage on a larger scale. The unauthorised sale of cotton seeds by private firms/agents based in Gujarat also impacted the quality of cotton in Punjab, sources added.

The IMD showed that normal rainfall (36.4 mm) was recorded in Sirsa, Jind and Bhiwani districts in September although cotton crop in Hisar and Fatehabad suffered damage due to excessive rain in that month.

Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) official Mohit Sharma said the prices were around Rs 8,200-8,500 per quintal, which is much above the MSP, so the CCI did not intervene in the market to buy cotton.