Extended rain raises concerns over India’s cotton yields

Karnataka Yadgir Rain water is being stagnated between lines of a cotton field in a village in Yadgir district owing to copious rains.
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS

The extended rain has spelt trouble for the standing cotton crop in parts of southern States — Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, while the excess precipitation in the recent weeks has also raised concern about yields in parts of Maharashtra. The trade feels that a clearer picture will emerge post-Dusherra and arrivals are likely to be delayed.

“Over the past4-5 days, heavy rain has been reported in many areas of Telangana and Karnataka, such as Yadgir, Shahpur and Jewargi, where standing crop has been impacted. While it is too early to quantify the impact, prevailing climatic conditions are posing a challenge to the standing crop and could delay the arrivals” said Ramanuj Das Boob, a sourcing agent in Raichur.

For growers, the rain could possibly impact the yields, even as prices are seen coming down, tracking the global trend amidst muted demand from the domestic mills. Daily cotton arrivals are around 30,000 bales (of 170 kg), and prices of raw cotton or kapas are hovering in the range of ₹5,600-7,500 per quintal in various regions, depending on the moisture content. Raw cotton prices have slipped below the minimum support price levels of ₹7,710 per quintal for medium staple and ₹8,110 for long staple.

Cottonseed slips

Das Boob said the decline in cottonseed prices is also weighing on the kapas prices. With the start of the new crop arrivals, cottonseed prices have declined by 10 per cent from around ₹4,100-4,200 per quintal to around Rs 3,800 levels.

Atul S.Ganatra, President, Cotton Association of India, sees no impact of the extended rains on the cotton crop. About 10 per cent of the early sown area may be affected by the rains, but 90 per cent of the area will be benefitted.

Pradeep Jain, Founder President of Khandesh Gin Press Association in Jalagon, said though there has been localised impact of the rain in about 10-15 per cent in some areas, the overall crop is unlikely to be affected.

Arun Khetan, a broker in Akola, said there has been no significant impact on the crop in the Vidarbha region. The weather has started clearing now and the arrivals are likely to be delayed, he said.

Meanwhile, Punjab Agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Wednesday sought the intervention of the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to intervene in the market as prices are ruling below the MSP levels, according to agency reports. Raw cotton prices in Punjab are ruling in the range of ₹5,600-5,800 a quintal.

Cotton sowing has ended and the overall acreages are down by 2.53 per cent at 109.64 lakh ha during 2025 kharif as compared to previous year’s 112.48 lakh ha.

Published on September 24, 2025