COTTON - AGRICULTURE

News: High prices may impact India cotton exports 

What's in the news?

       Cotton exports this year may fall short of the 40 lakh bales estimated recently by the Committee on Cotton Production and Consumption, traders said. 

Cotton Cultivation:

       Cotton is the crop of tropical and sub-tropical areas and needs an evenly high temperature changing between 21°C and 30°C.

       The growth of cotton is detained when the temperature falls less than 20°C. Ice is enemy number one of the cotton plant and it is grown in areas having at least 210 ice free days in a year.

       The modest necessity of water can be met by an average annual rainfall of 50- 100 cm. 

Soil:

       Cotton cultivation is intimately connected to deep black soils (regur) of the Deccan and the Malwa Plateaus and those of Gujarat.

       It also grows well in alluvial soils of the Satluj-Ganga Plain and red and laterite soils of the peninsular regions. 

Types of cotton:

1. Long staple cotton:

       It has the longest fiber whose length changes from 24 to 27 mm. The fiber is long, fine and shining.

       It is used for making fine and superior quality cloth. Noticeably, it earns the best price.

       It is mostly grown in Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

2. Medium staple cotton:

       The length of its fiber is between 20 mm and 24 mm. About 44 percent of the total cotton production in India is of medium staple.

       Rajasthan, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra are its major producers.

3. Short staple cotton:

       This is inferior cotton with fiber less than 20 mm long.

       It is used for producing inferior cloth and earns less price.

       About 6 percent of the total production is of short staple cotton. U.P., Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab are its major producers.

Production:

       India has the largest area under cotton cultivation in the world and the third largest producer of cotton after China and the USA.

       Gujarat is the largest producer of cotton in India.

Bt cotton:

       Bt cotton is a genetically modified organism (GMO) or genetically modified pest resistant plant cotton variety, which produces an insecticide to combat bollworm.

       Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton has been commercially grown in India for the past 19 years.

       The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) approved the release of Bt cotton for commercial cultivation in 2002 in western and southern parts of the country.

       In Punjab, Bt cotton was released for cultivation in 2005. Before the release, it was adopted by 72% farmers on 22% of the cotton area.