CCI CMD, enterprise veteran among professionals calling for quick measures to growth yield
With the country witnessing low cotton yields over the last few years, India would possibly quickly come to be deficient in cotton, according to enterprise experts who took component in a webinar held through the Cotton Association of India (CAI) recently. “Let us painfully accept that India suffers chronically from severe stagnation in cotton yields,” said a veteran cotton professional and industry doyen, Suresh Kotak at the webinar.

India’s average cotton yield of around 530 kg per hectare is in stark comparison to about 1,500 kg completed by using some of the advanced countries including Australia, Brazil, China, Israel, Mexico, Turkey amongst others.

Kotak known as for an introspection on production techniques, and pressured at the development of included crop management generation with a mix of drip irrigation and fertilisation – fertigation – for advanced water control. This is deemed important as almost 60% of India’s cotton area is under rainfed situations. “During flowering and fruiting period, Indian cotton remains famished. When it desires the nutrition, our modern-day system and agronomics don’t offer it. We should have a look at changing the plant increase into vegetative growth,” stated Kotak.

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Expressing worries over India’s consistently decrease cotton yields, J Thulasidharan, President, Indian Cotton Federation (ICF), said, “The yield has been stagnant or falling in previous couple of years. If it doesn’t improve, India turns into a cotton deficient nation inside the next 6-7 years,” he said.

Since Independence, India’s cotton area and yield has jumped multifold from forty three lakh hectares and 70 kg in 1947 to 133 lakh hectares and over 500 kg yield at present with about eighty lakh farmers growing cotton.

Importing generation
Pradeep Kumar Agarwal, CMD, Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), mentioned a consistent growth in consumption against a near steady production. “Soon we may additionally contact 350-360 lakh bales of consumption. At this charge India is nearing to become a (cotton) poor u . S .. So, there is a dire want to suppose on growing production,” said Agarwal. He cautioned importing era and technical expertise on higher cotton manufacturing strategies from the advanced international locations. “We want to method the authorities to borrow their generation to increase short-duration excessive-yield types,” added Agarwal.

Further, the CCI CMD referred to as for cultivating higher and uniform varieties on larger areas. “Earlier the concept was of 1-village, one-range, which has careworn farmers on which variety to sow. We need to extend it to 1-district, one-range or one-state, one-variety, for a uniform first-rate,” he said.

In order to deliver a focused coverage assist for cotton, Kotak advised creation of a unified cotton frame named National Cotton Board at the traces of US’ National Cotton Development Board. “One additional bale of cotton produced can generate five jobs,” Kotak introduced.

“The textiles zone seems at cotton yield development closely as an increse in yield will now not simply assist farmers however will also make textile enterprise competitive globally,” stated Chairman of CITI, T Rajkumar.