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Ginning mills suffer as cotton prices fall to a three-year low.Ahmedabad: Due to a fall in international prices, cotton prices have fallen to a three-year low of Rs 53,500 per candy (356 kg). Despite peak season, ginning mills in Gujarat are facing financial difficulties due to falling prices, with over 25% of the units shut. The state witnessed an arrival of 30,000 cotton bales (170 kg each) per day, with the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) making substantial purchases. Meanwhile, spinning units are operating at almost full capacity and showing positive financial results."Cotton prices have fallen to a three-year low of Rs 54,000 per candy. Ginning units are struggling as they bought raw cotton at high rates. Now the rates are falling continuously, putting pressure on mills. The fixed cost of ginning units is high; therefore, these units operate even after incurring losses," said Apurv Shah, vice-president, Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI). Industry reports indicate a decline in cotton cultivation in Gujarat, with production estimated at 88 lakh bales this year, 4 lakh bales less than last year. "November to January is considered the peak season for cotton, and despite this, ginning units are not operating at full capacity. There are around 800 ginning units in Gujarat; 450 of them are fully operational, while many are operational only a few days a week. Around 20% of the mills have not started crushing this year," Shah said. Spinning facilities have become profitable due to the fall in cotton prices.Jayesh Patel, senior vice-president of Spinners Association Gujarat (SAG), said, “At the moment, spinning units are getting some profit, as cotton prices have gone below the level of Rs 54,000 per candy. Now, CCI is buying a significant amount, and we demand that it should keep a reserve quota of cotton for the Indian textile industry, so that the industry gets priority. Spinning mills in the state are running at almost full capacity, and yarn prices are currently at Rs 240 per kg, but the demand is not strong. So there is a fear that prices will come down in a few days, as cotton stocks in the open market are reducing with CCI's strong buying.Read More :- Rupee weakens against dollar, Rupee falls by five paise to 85.53 per dollar in early trade  

Rupee depreciates against the dollar; in early trading, it dropped five paise to 85.53 per dollar.Rupee fell by five paise to 85.53 per dollar in early trade on Monday. Investor sentiment was affected amid heavy demand for dollars from importers, foreign capital withdrawal and soft trend in domestic stock markets, which put pressure on the domestic currency. Foreign exchange traders said that the rupee witnessed heavy volatility on Friday and on Monday, the rupee weakened amid heavy demand for dollars related to the expiry of December currency futures and maturity in outstanding futures.Read More :- All India Weather Warning for today

Today's weather warning for all of IndiaThunderstorm accompanied with hailstorms also likely over Southeast Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, East Rajasthan, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada & Gujarat Region on 27th and Madhya Pradesh on 27th & 28th December.Cold day to severe cold day conditions very likely in some parts of Himachal Pradesh on 27th & 28th DecemberDense to Very dense fog conditions very likely to prevail during late night/early morning hours in isolated pockets of Rajasthan during 27th-29stDecember;Ground frost conditions very likely in isolated pockets of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura on 27th December.Read More :- This evening, the rupee weakened by 26 paise against the dollar and closed at Rs 85.52

The rupee fell 26 paise versus the dollar to settle at Rs 85.52 Thursday evening.At the close, the Sensex was up 226.59 points or 0.29 per cent at 78,699.07 and the Nifty was up 63.20 points or 0.27 per cent at 23,813.40. Around 1866 stocks advanced, 1946 declined and 113 stocks remained unchanged.Read More :- ICE Cotton records lowest trading volume; prices slightly lower

The lowest trading volume is recorded by ICE Cotton, with somewhat lower prices.ICE Cotton on Thursday recorded the lowest trading volume in two years due to reduced trading hours and the consolidation phase in the market. US cotton prices closed slightly lower, with price fluctuations remaining in a narrow range.On Thursday, the ICE Cotton March 2025 contract closed 0.03 cents lower at 68.75 cents per pound (0.453 kg). The session recorded the lowest trading volume in two years, with only 13,139 contracts traded. Trading hours were reduced to 6 hours and 50 minutes compared to the usual 17 hours and 20 minutes due to the post-Christmas holidays.Price fluctuations remained in a narrow range, with March futures closing only 3 points lower. Other contract months declined from 8 points lower to 9 points higher.NYMEX crude oil prices fell during a mild holiday break, hit by a stronger dollar that made polyester, a cotton alternative, cheaper.The USDA is scheduled to release its weekly export sales report today, delayed due to the Christmas holidays.Brazil's 2024-25 cotton acreage forecast is 2.12 million hectares, up 0.4 percent from the November estimate, due to a revision in the acreage forecast for Bahia state. Mato Grosso, Brazil's largest cotton-producing state, maintained its acreage forecast at 1.56 million hectares. Bahia, the second-largest producing state, raised its acreage forecast from 365,000 hectares to 374,000 hectares.According to Conab forecasts, Brazil's total cotton acreage is expected to increase by 6.5 percent compared to last year and exceed 2 million hectares for the first time in 36 years.Currently, ICE cotton for March 2025 is trading at 68.74 cents per pound (down 0.01 cent). Cash cotton is trading at 66.92 cents (unchanged). The May 2024 contract is at 69.85 cents per pound (down 0.01 cent), the July 2025 contract is at 70.91 cents (up 0.03 cents), the October 2025 contract is at 69.50 cents (up 0.09 cents) and the December 2025 contract is at 69.98 cents (up 0.03 cents). Some contracts remained the same as the previous close, with no trading today.Read More :-  Maharashtra: Cotton growers worried over strong possibility of hailstorm and rain

Maharashtra: Cotton farmers are concerned about the high likelihood of rain and hailstormsChhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a forecast of rain and hailstorm in parts of Marathwada in the next few days, giving sleepless nights to cotton growers and other farmers.Ganesh Mane, a farmer from Beed district, said he is yet to harvest the cotton crop grown on 15 acres. "I am among the many farmers who have sown cotton a little late. Now the crop is ready for harvesting, but rain during the peak winter season will cause me huge losses," he said.Cotton growers feared that their crop may get ruined if the cotton gets damp or wet due to rain or hailstorm. Farmer rights activist Jayaji Suryavanshi said the uncertainty of monsoon will prove disastrous for cotton growers. "Many farmers have suffered losses due to heavy rains in the Kharif season. Now the Rabi season is also getting affected due to bad weather," he said. Rabi crops are cultivated in about 19 lakh hectares in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Latur divisions. A large part of this is cotton cultivation.Agriculture department officials said that farmers who have harvested cotton crop should take care of their crop. A senior official said, "Cotton storage should be well covered to protect it from rain. Vehicles carrying cotton for transportation should also be protected from rain." According to the IMD, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and some other areas of the region are likely to receive hailstorm along with thunderstorms on Friday, followed by partly cloudy sky with moderate rain or thunderstorms in the next two days.Read More :- Traders demand cut in cotton MSP

Cuts in cotton MSP are demanded by traders.Amid falling cotton exports and rising imports, there is a growing demand among cotton traders and associations in Gujarat to reduce the minimum support price of the crop.According to Ajay Shah, secretary of Gujkot Vyapar Sangh, if the MSP remains the same, it could signal another nationwide drought for the cotton sector and the textile value chain."Implement a free market mechanism for cotton and give more subsidy to farmers," he said. The MSP mechanism is implemented by the government to support farmers by buying their crops at a pre-determined remunerative price.The 2024-2025 MSP for cotton is Rs 7121 per quintal and Rs 7521 per quintal for medium and long-staple cotton varieties, respectively. This has further added to the challenges faced by cotton traders and mills, who are already struggling to remain competitive in the global market. Speaking to FE, Shah said, "By December 2024, we estimate that the government has bought about 60% of cotton stocks from farmers. Private players are buying less stocks due to the high MSP." Instead, many companies are importing cotton from countries such as Brazil, Australia, West African regions and the USA - which offer lower prices than India's MSP. For example, Brazil reduced its cotton export price to US$0.7060 per pound in October 2024 - a price 15.9% lower than the international market average.Read More :-  Rupee falls to new low of 85.27 as importers stock up dollar at month end

As importers stock up on dollars at the end of the month, the rupee drops to a new low of 85.27.The rupee fell to a new low of 85.27 a dollar due to a rise in the dollar index, coupled with importers’ month-end demand for the American currency, according to dealers. The local currency had settled at 85.20 on Wednesday.Read More :-  Indian rupee ended at new record low at 85.26 per dollar on Thursday versus Tuesday's close of 85.20.

In 2024, China will produce 6.164 million tons of cotton.During the ongoing calendar year, cotton production in China increased by 9.7 per cent year-on-year to 6.164 million tonnes, according to the data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Cotton production particularly increased in Xinjiang, the main cotton growing region in China.Both the area under cotton cultivation and yield per hectare increased during the year. While the total cotton planting area rose by 1.8 per cent compared to the last year, the yield per unit area saw a sharp jump of 7.8 per cent to touch 2,172 kg per hectare, as per the NBS data.Cotton plantation area expanded by 3.3 per cent to 2.45 million hectares in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in the northwest of China. On the other hand, area under cotton cultivation in the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins declined by 13.6 per cent and 1.6 per cent, respectively.Read More :- Indian rupee ended at new record low at 85.26 per dollar on Thursday versus Tuesday's close of 85.20.

After closing at 85.20 on Tuesday, the Indian rupee fell to a new record low of 85.26 per dollar on Thursday.At close, the Sensex was down 0.39 points at 78,472.48, and the Nifty was up 22.55 points or 0.10 percent at 23,750.20. About 1599 shares advanced, 2219 shares declined, and 95 shares unchanged.Read More :-Rupee Hits Fresh All-Time Low Of 85.24, Falls 9 Paise Against Dollar

The rupee drops 9 paise against the dollar and reaches a new all-time low of 85.24.The Indian rupee on Thursday declined by 9 paise to hit an all-time low of 85.24 against US dollar in the opening trade, amid higher US Treasury yields and a fall in most Asian peers. The 10-year US Treasury yield rose to the highest since late May on Tuesday.Read More :-  Indian rupee ended 9 paise lower at fresh record low at 85.20 per dollar on Tuesday versus Monday's close of 85.11.