The cotton sector is expected to have a strong year, which is encouraging for the seed industry. Farmers have received high prices for cotton fiber for the previous two growing seasons, and an average monsoon is expected, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). “Due to lesser production, cotton is in high demand, thus everyone is optimistic about this year. Ram Kaundinya, Director General of the Federation of Seed Sector of India (FSII), stated that the local textile sector has been increasing its need for cotton.
According to him, demand for cottonseeds could increase from 4.2 crore packets last season to 4.8–4.9 crore packets (of 450 gm each) this season. Given that three packets of cottonseed are required to cover two acres of land, 13 million hectares (mh) of land may potentially be covered by the sales of 4.9 crore packets (equal to 2.2 lakh quintals). According to industry analysts, if farmers’ saved seeds are added to the coverage in the upcoming Kharif season, the area may grow by at least 10%.
The IMD has estimated that normal monsoon rainfall will be 96% of the long-term average of 87 cm in 2023 and has excluded any disruption of rainfall brought on by the potential appearance of El Nino. For every two acres of land, Kaundinya claimed that 10 packets would be needed for the High-Density Planting System (HDPS), which grows nearly three times as many plants as the standard system. “It is at the pilot stage, and some target has been fixed to cover in the upcoming kharif,” he added, noting that the need for seeds would not change right away.
India’s cotton production grew from 31.12 million bales a year ago to 33.72 million bales (each weighing 170 kg) in the crop year 2022-23 (July–June), according to data from the Agriculture Ministry. The production is estimated lower by some traders and agencies, though. According to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), India’s cotton exports will drop by 500,000 bales this month to 1.8 million (US bales of 227.72 kg or 23.05 lakh Indian bales of 170 kg), closely matching its anticipated imports. Within 20 lakh bales of export are expected throughout the 2022–2023 (October–September) period, according to industry specialists.
