The cotton crop for the 2022–23 season (October–September) is predicted to be a low of 313 lakh bales (each weighing 170 kg), down from the earlier expectation of 321.50 lakh bales, driven by a decline in production in the cotton-growing states of Telangana and Maharashtra. 307 lakh bales of cotton were thought to have been produced last year.
At the crop committee meeting of the Cotton Association of India (CAI) on Wednesday, it was estimated that the output in Telangana decreased by three lakh bales, that in Maharashtra decreased by two lakh bales, that in Haryana and Karnataka decreased by one lakh bales each, and that in Punjab and Tamil Nadu decreased by 50,000 bales, resulting in a decrease of 8.5 lakh bales overall from the previous estimate. This may affect fuel costs, which are rising and are currently trading at roughly $8.00 per quintal in Rajkot’s spot markets while Thursday’s arrivals were 1,800 quintals. Prices for Gujarat (Shankar-6) 29mm variety ginned and processed cotton were quoted at 61,300 per candy (356 kg).
Yet according to the CAI, consumption will remain at 300 lakh bales. Approximately 12 lakh bales of imports and 313 lakh bales of the crop, in addition to 31.89 lakh bales of carryover stock from the previous season, make up the expected 356.89 lakh bale total available. The arrivals of cotton are down by 51 lakh bales this year compared to the same period last year, when they stood at 206 lakh bales, according to CAI President Atul Ganatra. Moreover, arrivals reached 154.84 lakh bales as of February 27, or around 50% of the crop.
Telangana’s harvest will be 38 lakh bales, followed by Karnataka’s crop of 20 lakh bales, and Gujarat’s crop, which is expected to be the highest grower, would be 94 lakh bales. Maharashtra’s crop is expected to be 78 lakh bales. In North India, the output in Rajasthan is predicted to be 27 lakh bales, in Haryana it will be 11 lacks, in Madhya Pradesh, it will be 19 lacks, and in Andhra Pradesh, it will be 11.5 lacks. Over 6 lakh bales had been imported as of February, compared to 8 lacking exported.
