Cot. acreage set to rebound in North India

Ahmedabad: The Cotton acreage in the northern States of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are set to rebound in the forthcoming kharif season as growers, buoyed by high prices, are seen switching back to the fibre crop from cereals, mainly paddy. The Cotton planting for kharif 2017 is set to begin by mid-April.  According to cottonseed makers, farmers and traders, acreage under the crop will rise sharply in the North with a jump of about 20-25 per cent over last year’s 11.96 lakh hectares.

Last year, the cotton acreage had drastically dropped in the North, mainly in Punjab, as farmers had suffered significant losses on account of crop damage inflicted by pest attacks, mainly the whitefly. Also, there was a shift towards the desi varieties last year as farmers moved away from Bt hybrids in several areas