New Delhi, India
January 15, 2008
The Cotton Advisory Board
(CAB) at its first meeting for the current season 2007-08 held
on 11th January 2008 under the Chairmanship of Shri J.N. Singh,
Textile Commissioner, has estimated the cotton crop at 310 lakh
bales. This is a historic high and represents a 11% jump over
last year's crop estimate of 280 lakh bales.
Area
this year was also touched an all-time high of 95.30 lakh
hectares because of good returns realised by cotton farmers last
year and reasonably good market prices as well as the generally
conducive conditions at the sowing time. Apart from overall
increase in area, there was a remarkable jump in the coverage of
Bt. cottons.
The
State-wise details of area and production as estimated by the
CAB are presented in the following table.
CAB ESTIMATES ON 11.1.2008
|
State |
Area
|
Production
|
|
|
2006-2007
|
2007-2008(E)
|
2006-2007
|
2007-2008(E)
|
|
Punjab |
6.07
|
6.48
|
26.00
|
24.00
|
|
Haryana |
5.30
|
4.78
|
16.00
|
16.00
|
|
Rajasthan |
3.50
|
3.68
|
8.00
|
9.00
|
|
North Zone |
14.87
|
14.94
|
50.00
|
49.00
|
|
Gujarat |
23.90
|
25.16
|
101.00
|
110.00
|
|
Maharashtra |
30.70
|
31.91
|
52.00
|
60.00
|
|
M.P. |
6.39
|
6.62
|
18.00
|
21.00
|
|
Central Zone |
60.99
|
63.69
|
171.00
|
191.00
|
|
A.P. |
9.72
|
10.96
|
35.00
|
43.00
|
|
Karnataka |
3.75
|
3.71
|
6.00
|
8.00
|
|
Tamil Nadu |
1.22
|
1.23
|
5.00
|
5.00
|
|
South Zone |
14.69
|
15.90
|
46.00
|
56.00
|
|
Others |
0.87
|
0.77
|
1.00
|
2.00
|
|
Loose Cotton |
|
|
+ 12.00
|
+ 12.00
|
|
All India |
91.42
|
95.30
|
280.00
|
310.00
|
|
E=Estimated |
|
Area in lakh ha. |
Production in lakh bales of 170 kgs. each |
(According to
the information gathered by the Association market arrivals of
cotton upto December end aggregate to 155 lakh bales as against
116 lakh bales last year)
As
may be observed, production has increased in Central and
Southern Zones, the maximum increase of 22% was in South Zone
closely followed with a rise of nearly 12% in Central Zone.
Consumption by Mills including SSI and nonmill use has been
projected at 245 lakh bales, nearly 13 lakh bales higher as
compared to 2006-07 season.
CAB
expects exports to be higher at 65 lakh bales as against 58 lakh
bales in 2006-07. Imports in 2007-08 are projected at 6.50 lakh
bales as compared to 5.53 lakh bales in 2006-07, because mills
have to rely on foreign growths to spin some finer counts of
yarn.
Based on the above details, CAB has drawn up the Cotton Balance
Sheet for 2006-07 and 2007-08 as under :-
CAB Balance Sheet (in lakh bales of 170 kg)
|
|
2006-07
|
2007-08(E)
|
|
Supply |
|
|
|
Opening Stock |
52.00
|
47.50
|
|
Production |
280.00
|
310.00
|
|
Imports |
5.53
|
6.50
|
|
Total Supply |
337.53
|
364.00
|
|
Demand |
|
|
|
Mill Consumption |
194.89
|
207.00
|
|
Consumption by SSIs |
21.26
|
23.00
|
|
Non-mill use |
15.88
|
15.00
|
|
Exports |
58.00
|
65.00
|
|
Total Demand |
290.03
|
310.00
|
|
Closing Stock |
47.50
|
54.00
|
|
E=Estimated |
Thus, CAB expects carry-over stock of 54.00 lakh bales as on
September 2008 as against 47.50 lakh bales in 2006-07.
RELATED RELEASE
Source: GMO Compass
(February 5, 2008)
Bt cotton reaches two-thirds of current
Indian output
According to statistics newly released by the Cotton Association
of India, transgenic Bt cotton represents 66 per cent of Indian
cotton grown in the current season. Cotton acreage in India
totals more than 9.5 million hectares. A record harvest of 31
million bales is expected this season, due in part to the
bollworm resistance and high yield of Bt cotton.
The transgenic cotton is found most extensively in the central
Indian zone, where it is grown on more than 4 million hectares.
Areas of 1.08 million and 870,000 hectares respectively are
cultivated in the southern and northern zones. In all of these
major regions, Bt cotton occupies two-thirds to three-quarters
of the total area for the crop.
Despite extensive field areas, India produces an average of only
553 kg of cotton per cultivated hectare and lags thereby at a
significant distance to other cotton-producing countries. Global
averages are recorded as 765kg of cotton per cultivated hectare.
However, the use of Bt cotton has fostered Indian yields since
the season of 2000-2001, in which India produced 338kg less
cotton per hectare than the world average. For the current
growing season of 2007-8, the national shortfall is anticipated
to be only 212 kg per hectare and the four major
cotton-producing states of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh
and the Punjab are expected to achieve yields of 743, 691, 667
and 630 kilograms of cotton per hectare respectively. |
