Cotton May Lose ground to Maize in Central India this Kharif Season

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 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 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 expense. Due to lower yield of an average of 435 kg lint, the cost of production is very high. Farmers cannot reap profits by growing cotton,” Ganatra said. Cotton prices have largely remained subdued and ruled below the minimum support price for most part of the ongoing 2024-25 season. The main reason was the muted demand from spinning mills and also a bearish trend in global prices.
The planting for the kharif 2025-26 has begun in the northern parts of the country and also in the extra-long staple growing belt of Karnataka. Bhagirath Chaudhary, Founder-Director, South Asia Biotechnology Centre in Jodhpur, said the area in the northern region will increase slightly this season. “While the area in Punjab will go down, 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 the 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 the maize area may increase in the upcoming kharif by anywhere between 5 and 10 per cent. 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 crop. “This year, due to some initiative by CAI and other agencies, better yield expectations are likely,” he said.