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India’s cotton cultivation has declined and will be 10-12% lower this season from the last one, said Cotton Association of India president Atul S. Ganatra
Why the cotton cultivation falls
Falling Crop Yields: Average yield per hectare in India is about 480 kg, significantly lower than the world average of 800 kg.
Economic Disparity: Indian farmers earn ₹90,000 per hectare, while Australian farmers earn around ₹5 lakh per hectare.
Reduced Area Under Cultivation: The area under cotton cultivation decreased from 127 lakh hectares last year to an estimated 113 lakh hectares this year.
Pest Infestation: The northern region, including Punjab and Rajasthan, saw a 35% reduction in cotton area due to pink bollworm infestation.
Crop Shift: In Gujarat, the cotton area fell by 13-15% as farmers shifted to other crops like groundnut and tur dal.
Irregular Rains: Gujarat experienced a significant drop in cotton yields due to irregular rainfall patterns last year.
Pink bollworm (PBW)
PBW (Pectinophora gossypiella) is a major pest within the American bollworm complex, primarily affecting cotton crops.
The larvae are small white caterpillars with eight pairs of legs and pink bands along their backs.
PBW, also known as Saunders, damages developing cotton fruits such as the flower bud (square) and the seed-containing boll.
The pest lays eggs on buds, flowers, and bolls, with the hatched larvae burrowing into the bolls to feed on seeds, resulting in lint damage and quality deterioration.
The introduction of Bt Cotton, genetically modified to resist pests like PBW, aimed to mitigate risks.
However, PBW has developed resistance to Bt Cotton over time, exacerbating the problem.
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