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India’s cotton production prospects in the ongoing Kharif season have taken a hit with a dip of almost a million hectares in sown area of the crop, compared to the corresponding period in 2023.
Still reeling from devastating losses from back-to-back pest attacks in the last three years on their BT cotton crop, farmers have now either significantly reduced the area under the crop or done away with it completely, shifting to other crops like pulses, millets, and oilseeds.
By August 9, 2024, the area planted with cotton was 11 million hectares, marking a nine per cent drop from 2023, when 12.1 million ha had been sown by this time. This year's target was 12.99 million ha.
The sown area is also lower than the normal area (average of 2018-19 - 2022-23) in the corresponding period of 12.07 million ha.
Considering that most of the Kharif sowing would have been completed by now, the current area under the crop also falls behind by 1 million ha, compared to the normal of Kharif season (12.9 million ha).
A significant reduction in cotton area was recorded in the northern cotton belt comprising Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana, the three states which have faced repeated outbreaks of pink bollworm (PBW) pest, with many farmers unable to complete even one harvest.
PBW is a worm that damages parts of the developing cotton fruit, like the square (the flower bud) and the boll (rounded sac of seeds with cotton fibres).
Before this, in 2022, there was a severe whitefly infestation in the crop.
In Punjab, only 100,000 ha was sown as of August 2, against the normal of 263,000 ha for the corresponding period. Last year, 214,000 ha was covered under the crop.
Similarly, in Rajasthan, against the normal area of 671,000 ha, the area in 2024-25 was 511,800 ha.
The pest attacks have also hit the crop diversification efforts. Cotton is among the several crops that the state governments in Punjab and Haryana have been pushing to help farmers diversify from water guzzling paddy.
“It started with the attack of mealy bug several years ago and since then there have been different pest attacks. This time I did not want to take a chance. I have sown my entire four-hectare land under paddy this time,” said Manpreet Singh, a farmer in Punjab’s Faridkot district.
This can be seen in the sowing data as well. Area under paddy in the state was 3.22 million ha, surpassing the state agriculture department’s target of 3.19 million ha. Even in Rajasthan, not typically a paddy-growing state, area under the crop was 277,400 ha against the normal area of corresponding week of 198,500 ha.
Bt Cotton (bollgard II seed) was introduced in India in 2002 to protect cotton against American bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera). But after a few years, it started falling prey to pink bollworm. A warming climate, with changes in both temperature and rainfall, have increased the population of several pests, thus leading to an increase in the frequency of pest attacks.
However, this year a pilot project involving 18 farmers in three Punjab districts — Muktsar, Bhatinda, and Mansa — by the Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has given some hope.
This project utilises artificial intelligence (AI) for real-time pest monitoring. By deploying AI-powered pheromone traps, CICR aims to empower farmers with the information needed to make timely pest management decisions.
Meanwhile, till August 9, 2024, 97.98 million ha has been sown with Kharif crops, including paddy, pulses, oilseeds, coarse cereals, sugarcane, cotton and jute. The overall area was higher than last year’s area during the corresponding period, mostly driven by paddy, pulses, millets and oilseeds.
Area under paddy increased by 1.36 million ha, compared to 2023, pulses by 735,000 ha, millets and coarse cereals by 177,000 ha and oilseeds by 152,000 ha.