Cotton output to fall short of 146 lakh bales target

Our Commodities Bureau in Coimbatore

Cotton production for the 2000-’01 season is likely to fall short of the Cotton Advisory Board (CAB) projection of 146 lakh bales.
If one goes by the arrivals till the end of the first week of August, crop could be around 140 lakh bales as estimated by East India Cotton Association (EICA). The arrivals till August 4 is around 137.80 lakh bales (of 170 kg each) against 152.72 lakh bales reported arrived during the corresponding period in the last cotton year. Last year’s crop stood at 156 lakh bales.

The entire cotton crop of the northern belt, of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, and that of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh had found their way to the markets around this time last year. However, estimated arrivals from these states till the first week of August have fallen short of the projections.

Against the projection of 32 lakh bales from northern belt only 28.60 lakh bales are reported to have arrived. EICA had estimated the final crop at 140.25 lakh bales. According to the Association, the area under cotton cultivation during the year has dropped to 81.22 lakh hectares from last year’s 87.91 lakh hectares. The CAB had initially
projected the cotton crop at 158 lakh bales.