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Cotton picking begins, yield likely to double this season
Cotton picking has started in Punjab, with experts predicting double the yield from last year, easing farmer concerns amid minimal pest impact.
Picking of cotton balls has begun in the semi-arid districts of Punjab amid field inputs of an insignificant impact of pest attacks on the ‘white gold’, giving much relief to farmers.
Experts at Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) and state agriculture officials expect that the production this time will be double as compared to that of the last year and higher yield will encourage farmers to go back to cotton cultivation again.
In 2023-24 season, Punjab had produced 17.54-lakh-quintal cotton. In the kharif season of 2024-25, Punjab witnessed the lowest ever cotton acreage of 96,000 hectares, triggering fear among the policymakers as farmers switched to rice cultivation in a big way in the semi-arid belt of southwest districts of the state. Pest attacks in the last three seasons hit economic conditions and lowered the morale of farmers who showed little interest in the traditional kharif crop in the current year.
In 2023, cotton was sown on 1.79 lakh hectares. The acreage has seen a dip of 46 per cent this kharif season. This came even as the agriculture department had set a target of two lakh hectares of land under cotton this year against the goal of three lakh hectares last year.
According to the data of the Punjab Mandi Board, in the past few days farmers have started reaching mandis of various districts with their cotton produce in small quantities. Information suggests private players are offering up to ₹7,501 per quintal to cotton growers against the minimum support price (MSP) of ₹7,281.
More than 160 quintals of raw cotton have been purchased in different mandis till Tuesday.
Mandi board’s state cotton coordinator Manish Kumar said on Monday that arrival started last week and Muktsar reported maximum arrival of 82 quintals to date, followed by 31 quintals in Fazilka. “It is the early-sown cotton that has started reaching mandis in small quantities. Arrival is expected to gain momentum by the month-end and we hope for a good season this time. Ample arrangements are in place for a smooth purchase of the crop,” said the official.
Agriculture authorities say that after an initial serious crop loss assessment, no major adverse impact of the deadly whitefly and pink bollworm was observed this time.
PAU principal entomologist Vijay Kumar said an assessment by farm experts of Haryana and Punjab at a seminar in Hisar on Tuesday concluded that Punjab managed to control pink bollworm efficiently this year. “We are confident to double the produce this year if the climatic conditions remain conducive and no rain is reported. The health of plants has remained impressive,” he added.
Muktsar chief agriculture officer Gurnam Singh, the nodal officer for the cotton-growing districts, said farmers expect eight quintals per acre yield and a good season would move the cultivators towards cotton again.
“Last year, the average yield was four quintals due to pest attacks and poor weather conditions. This time the field teams worked in coordination to contain attacks of whitefly and bollworm as no major crop loss is reported across the nine cotton-growing districts. The next four weeks are crucial when second picking of cotton balls will commence, indicating production,” he added.
