New Delhi, Dec 9: India’s cotton production has fallen in recent years due to a mix of environmental, agronomic and economic pressures, the Ministry of Textiles informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The Ministry cited reduced acreage, uneven rainfall, extreme temperatures in rainfed belts, and the negative effects of monocropping on soil health as major contributors to the decline. A notable resurgence of pests—including pink bollworm and whitefly—and rising cases of diseases such as cotton leaf curl virus, boll rot and Tobacco Streak Virus have further hit yields. Many farmers have also shifted to more remunerative crops, aggravating the drop in cotton output.
Five-Year Mission Launched to Raise Yields
To reverse the trend, the Centre has announced a five-year Mission for Cotton Productivity in the Union Budget 2025–26 aimed at boosting crop yields and strengthening the textile value chain. The initiative will support research, innovation and extension activities across all cotton-growing states, with a focus on climate-smart, pest-resistant and high-yielding varieties, including Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton developed through advanced breeding and biotechnology.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research–Central Institute for Cotton Research (ICAR-CICR) has also implemented a Special Project on Cotton under the National Food Security and Nutrition Mission during FY 2023–24 and 2024–25, covering eight major cotton-growing states. The project, extended into FY 2025–26, aims to demonstrate large-scale best practices for enhancing productivity and expanding ELS cotton production.
Low-Productivity Districts Identified
Under the mission, districts have been classified based on cotton acreage and productivity to prioritise targeted interventions.
Large area–low productivity districts (37) include major cotton zones across Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka—such as Bhiwani, Barwani, Ahmedabad, Akola, Amravati, Yavatmal, Nalgonda, Warangal Urban, Kurnool and Raichur.
Low-acreage–low-productivity districts (40) include Charki Dadri, Bikaner, Jhabua, Junagadh, Ahmednagar, Latur, Mulugu, Anantapur, Belgaum, Mysuru and several others across nine states.
The Ministry also shared lists of high-productivity districts—25 with large areas and 41 with smaller cotton acreage—such as Fazilka, Hisar, Sirsa, Amreli, Nagpur, Adilabad, Guntur, Yadagir, Bathinda, Rohtak, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Washim, Karimnagar, Krishna and Bellary.
The classification is expected to help the government upscale region-specific technologies and best practices to improve yields nationwide.
The information was provided by Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
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