Cotton may lose ground to maize in central India this kharif
Cotton stakeholders see the natural fibre crop losing ground in Central India, the largest producing region, to competing crops such as maize in the upcoming kharif season. The area under cotton is seen to be lower by about a tenth in the season ahead as declining yields over the years have hit the realisations.
Atul Ganatra, President, Cotton Association of India (CAI) – the apex trade body for the fibre crop, said a decline in the acreage will likely be seen in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Farmers in Gujarat will shift from cotton to groundnut and in Maharashtra from cotton to maize, he said.
“The main reason for shifting is the low yield and high expenses. Due to lower yield of an average of 435 kg lint, the cost of production is very high. Farmers cannot reap profits from growing cotton,” Ganatra said.
Subdued price
Cotton prices have largely remained subdued and trended below the minimum support price levels for most part of the ongoing 2024-25 season. The main reason for the subdued price was the muted demand from the spinning mills and also factors such as a bearish trend in global prices influencing the local prices.
As a result of weak prices, State-run Cotton Corporation of India’s purchases at MSP exceeded one crore bales (of 170 kg each) during the season, accounting for a third of the total output.
The planting for the kharif 2025-26 has just begun in the northern parts of the country and also in the extra long staple growing belt of Karnataka.
Soya, corn take over
Bhagirath Chaudhary, Founder Director, South Asia Biotechnology Centre in Jodhpur, said the “area in northern region will increase slightly this season. While the area in Punjab will go down further, but in Haryana and Rajasthan definitely the area will increase. Overall in Central and Southern India there will be a significant decrease because cotton area would be taken over by corn and other crops.”
Chaudhary said farmers have lost confidence in cotton production. “They are not confident that cotton can be a remunerative crop for them. Soyabean prices were also significantly down this year. Most of the shift will be in favour of corn, which will be the biggest gainer, because the prices are good,” he added.
Divya Kumar Gulati, President, CLEFMA of India, said maize area may increase in the upcoming kharif by anywhere between 5 and 10 per cent. Farmers intend to increase the maize area because of the MSP from the government and also due to assured sales because of the ethanol demand, he said.
Maize is seen gaining area from cotton and also from soyabean in Central India.
“In terms of the requirement for our industry, soya moving into corn will not make any impact for our industry in terms of the soyabean yield because we already have an alternative protein source in the form of DDGS,” he added.
Ramanuj Das Boob, a sourcing agent in Raichur, said the area under cotton is unlikely to see a decline as cotton has better realisation than any other crops. “Moreover, farmers could sell it easily at MSP. This year, due to some initiative by CAI and other agencies, better yield expectations can be considered,” he said.
Published on April 16, 2025
