Cotton sowing dips by 28 per cent

Last year,the total acreage under cotton in the state stood at over 30 lakh hectares.

Saurashtra and Kutch regions,which account for about 70 per cent of the cotton production of the state,have recorded 76 per cent deficient rains so far this monsoon,as compared to 24 per cent in the comparable period last year,a Meteorological Department official said.

“We estimate a dip of 15-20 per cent in cotton acreage during the kharif sowing if rains do not revive by mid-August,” said Gujarat State Cooperative Cotton Federation managing director N M Sharma.

If weather conditions continue like this for next two weeks or so,“we estimate total cotton acreage in Gujarat would not cross 25 lakh hectares”,he said. “Saurashtra and Kutch regions have witnessed comparatively low sowing,due to scanty rains,” said Sharma,who heads the body which has 5.5 lakh cotton growers as its members.

“Even if it rains in August,there will be scope to cover up the lost ground,” a Cotton Corporation of India official said.

In the wake of low sowing reports,cotton prices have firmed up in the state,which accounts for nearly 33 per cent of the country’s total production. “The per candy (356 kg) prices of cotton have risen from Rs 32,000 to nearly Rs 38,000 in the last one month,” Sharma said.