Cotton Acreage Drops by 23% in North India; Punjab Most Affected
The area under cotton cultivation in North India's three major cotton-producing states—Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan—has declined by approximately 23% this year. Last year, cotton was sown across about 11.83 lakh hectares in these three states; this year, the figure has dropped to around 9.09 lakh hectares, marking a reduction of 2.74 lakh hectares or 23.2%.
Punjab has recorded the steepest decline. The state's cotton acreage has fallen from approximately 1.28 lakh hectares last year to around 80,000 hectares this year—a decrease of about 48,000 hectares or 37.5%. Traditional cotton-growing regions such as Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Faridkot, and Ferozepur are now gradually shifting towards paddy and other crops.
In Haryana, cotton acreage has decreased from approximately 3.80 lakh hectares to 2.95 lakh hectares. Similarly, in Rajasthan, it has dropped from 6.55 lakh hectares to around 5.34 lakh hectares. Nevertheless, Rajasthan remains the state with the largest area under cotton cultivation among the three.
According to farmers, infestations by whitefly and pink bollworm, declining yields, rising costs, and market uncertainty have made cotton farming a risky proposition. In contrast, paddy cultivation offers farmers greater confidence due to procurement at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), an established network of *mandis* (wholesale markets), and irrigation facilities.
To increase cotton acreage, it is essential to provide farmers with better seeds, effective pest control measures, higher yields, remunerative prices, and reliable market access.
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