“Sentiments are weak for cotton in North India on account of elements corresponding to extreme infestation of pink bollworm, low costs and rising labour prices,” Satyendar Singh, CEO of Seed Enterprise at Crystal Crop Safety.
“There’s a sluggish begin to the sowing this kharif season. The seed motion is sluggish. Until this time final 12 months, lot of gross sales had taken place, however this time it is extremely very sluggish. How it will translate into acreages we should wait and see. Cotton acreages might not contact the final 12 months’s ranges in all of the three Northern States,” Singh mentioned.
In Punjab, the cotton space throughout 2023-24 kharif season had declined by 32 per cent to 1.69 lakh hectares over the earlier 12 months’s 2.49 lakh hectares. Rajasthan had additionally seen a dip in space throughout 2023-24 at 7.91 lakh hectares (8.15 lakh hectares within the earlier 12 months), whereas Haryana had seen a marginal enhance at 6.83 lakh hectares(5.75 lakh hectares).
Acreage down
Sushil Phutela, Director, Indian Cotton Affiliation Ltd mentioned the commerce feels that acreages might come down in Punjab this 12 months because of the points corresponding to extreme pest assaults affecting high quality. In Haryana and Rajashtan, the acreages might stay at par with final years ranges, Phutela mentioned.
Bhagirath Choudhary, Founder Director of South Asia Biotechnology Centre (SABC) in Jodhpur mentioned, farmers in Haryana and Rajasthan might go the Punjab method in decreasing the cotton acreages this 12 months as extreme infestation of PBW had taken a toll on the standard of the crop. Morever, the realisations had taken a success because of the poor high quality and farmers weren’t compensated for the crop losses.
Alternate options
“Cotton acreages might come down by round 25 per cent in Haryana and Rajasthan and Punjab might also see a marginal dip,” Choudhary mentioned. Farmers might return to paddy in areas of Punjab the place water availability is there, whereas they might swap over to guar in Rajasthan. Maize and mung beans might also emerge instead, he mentioned.
Yogesh Kumar Dhaka, a seed retailer in Sirsa mentioned the acreages can be down by about 15 per cent. Gross sales of cotton seeds are sluggish when in comparison with final 12 months and farmers have began planting in areas the place mustard has been harvested, Dhaka mentioned. In areas the place water availability is there, farmers will go for paddy, whereas in different areas they might go for mungbeans and groundnuts, he mentioned.
M Ramasami, Founder and Chairman of Rasi Seeds, expects some enchancment in cotton acreages. “Forecast of monsoon is beneficial and costs have been good. We count on a minimal 5 per cent enhance in space underneath cotton throughout the nation. Nevertheless, some hiccups are additionally there because of the lack of expertise and PBW damages have been very extreme in some areas,” he added.
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