The northern region states Punjab, Haryana and some parts of Rajasthan which contributed about 33 % towards total cotton production from the country from a mere 22% area are likely to show a decline in production this season.
Enquiries from directorate of agriculture and associations of cotton growers reveal that in Haryana the area under cotton has reduced by nine per cent. The decline is prominent as Haryana alone accounts of a fall for 60,000 hectares in area under cotton while in both Punjab and Rajasthan; scanty rains have delayed cotton sowing. Balwinder Singh Sidhu, Director, Agriculture told that Punjab had a record production of cotton at 26.78 lakh bales in 2006-07 and the area under cotton during this period was 6.28 lakh hectare. The department had set a target to raise the area under cotton crop up to 7 lakh hectares this season. However, he confirmed that target may not be achieved and the area under cotton would be around 6.48 lakh hectares. Also Punjab had a record 750 gm lint production of cotton production this year, which was three times higher than the national productivity.
However, Punjab is in a state of missing the productivity figures this year. Director, Agriculture, Punjab admits that “drought like situation in the state, high temperature, humidity, attack of white fly etc has resulted in stunted growth of cotton”. He has advised farmers to use remaining dose of nitrogen and spray potassium nitrate 2% on weekly intervals to yield crops.
In fact Punjab and Haryana Cotton Growers Associations say ” demand-supply mismatch was likely this time as huge spindle expansion during 2005-2006 and early part of 2007 had led to galloping raw cotton consumption among spinners”. In Punjab large number of spinning mills had been set up on Chandigarh-Ambala highway.