Punjab and Haryana are bracing up for record cotton crop this season thanks to favourable weather, increase in area under cotton and high returns by cotton growers last year.
Officials in Punjab and Haryana told FE that ?area under cotton in the two states is likely to increase by about 14%. Haryana has 5,50,000 hectare under cotton this year as against 4,92,000 hectare under cotton crop last year?. Similarly, Punjab that had 4,83,000 hectare under cotton last year has 5,30,000 hectare under cotton this year. The Punjab government has set up 25 cotton mandis out of which 19 has provided worldclass infrastructure under ?Technology Mission of Cotton?.
Sources told FE last year, the area under cotton had remained subdued owing to prolonged dry spell. Another factor for increase in area under cotton crop this year was that farmers last year got better price for the cotton crop as price for cotton had jumped by over 100 per cent in the market encouraging them to lap up cotton crop.
Land under cotton crop this year has increased to 5.50 lakh hectare from 4.83 lakh hectare last year and production of cotton crop would touch 22.50 lakh bales of cotton registering a record increase of 4.38 bales from last year. He said the government has made adequate arrangements for the crop transportation and preservation besides construction of new roads inside the mandis.
The government has established 42 mandis in Punjab out of which 25 mandis equipped with ultra modern facilities witnessed regular arrival of crop on large scale.