Last Updated: 03 Aug 2024

Cotton, also called White Gold, has the potential to cultivate around 8 lakh hectares of cotton in Punjab and can be a big alternative for paddy crop

Since 2015^[1]: The farmers have lost confidence in the crop after failed cotton crops & heavy financial loss due to pest attacks^[2], fake seed^[3] & pesticide scams^[4]

Long Process of restoring Confidence Started

Season 2023: From Seed subsidy to ensuring quality seeds to timely canal water, Punjab Govt made efforts to break the farmer disappointment cycle

IMPACT 2023:

-- 50% Higher yield per acre: 10% Higher Total Production despite 30% Lower cultivation area^[5]
-- ~1000 Rs avg price higher than last year^[2:1]
-- Punjab cotton farmers break the pest attack jinx after 3 consecutive years of crop damage^[2:2]

¶ Reseach: New disease resistant seeds^[6]

Groundbreaking achievement in Aug 2024: Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has become 1st research institute globally to successfully incorporate resistance against prevalent Diseases

Punjab Govt also urged Centre to approve next generation BG-III Bt cotton for sowing in July 2024^[7]

• Cotton Leaf Curl Disease (CLCuD) in American cotton causes whitefly-transmitted virus
• Cultivating CLCuD-resistant American cotton varieties in North India could ensure high and stable cotton production
• CLCuD is the most severe disease affecting American cotton in the North Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, as well as in Pakistan. The disease has also been reported in China
• A 40% reduction in cotton yield in India caused by this disease
• Beyond yield loss, CLCuD also adversely affects the quality of cotton fiber, the primary economic product of the crop

¶ Punjab Govt efforts

The process to restore confidence has begun by Punjab govt in 2023

Handholding farmers towards Cotton

• Hired Kisan Mitras to handhold farmers for crop diversification

Budget 2023-24 & 2024-25^[8]

• 33% subsidy on cotton seeds
• Track & trace mechanism for ensuring quality seeds to farmers

Timely Canal water after decades^[1:1]

The Punjab government releasing water in the canals on time since the beginning of April 2023 after decades. Details below:

• Revived Canals & Water at tails after decades

Special "Mission Unnat Kisan"^[9]

• Launched to provide timely technical information to the farmers for proper cultivation of cotton

¶ Decade of Shaken Confidence in Cotton crop ^[1:2]

• The decline began in 2015, when the cotton crop was severely attacked by whiteflies. Later Pesticide scam^[4:1], Fake seed scams^[3:1], Pink Bollworm insect also damaged farmer confidence
• Since then, the area under cotton has stayed under 3 lakh hectares, except in 2019

Year 2022-23: Cotton crop per hectare was 45% less than the year before

¶ Histroy: Constant fall in cotton crop^[10]

_{⁺3 Consecutive seasons 2020, 2021 & 2022 had cotton crop damage due to pest attacks^[2:3]}

¶ Trend across North Indian States

2024 Declining Trend across all North Indian states^[12]

Punjab saw only 97,000 hectares of cotton in 2024
Rajasthan: Area under cotton reduced from 8.35 lakh hectares in 2023 to 4.75 lakh hectares 2024
Haryana: Area under cotton went down from 5.75 lakh hectares in 2023 to 4.50 lakh hectares in 2024

References:

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1. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/punjab-area-cotton-decrease-8660696/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

2. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/104330395.cms ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

3. https://yespunjab.com/punjab-seed-scam-sad-pegs-loss-at-rs-4000-crore-demands-compensation-for-farmers/ ↩︎ ↩︎

4. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/pesticide-scam-aap-demands-tota-singhs-resignation-legal-action/articleshow/49273694.cms ↩︎ ↩︎

5. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-cotton-production-surges-dip-area-9296323/ ↩︎

6. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=188777 ↩︎

7. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/punjab-urges-centre-to-approve-bg-iii-bt-cotton-for-sowing/article68420938.ece ↩︎

8. https://news.abplive.com/business/budget/punjab-budget-rs-1-000-cr-for-crop-diversification-bhagwant-mann-led-aap-govt-to-come-out-with-new-agriculture-policy-details-1587384 ↩︎

9. https://jagratilahar.com/english/punjab/96426/Visionary-budget-to-boost-agriculture-allied-sectors-in-punjab-gurmeet-singh-khudian ↩︎

10. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/coverage-cotton-crop-punjab-8649819/ ↩︎

11. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-cotton-production-faces-slow-death-9376210/ ↩︎

12. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/crop-diversification-hit-as-pest-attacks-force-punjab-farmers-to-shift-from-cotton-to-paddy-9457410/ ↩︎