Prices for cotton candy rose by 0.4% to 57,640 INR, mostly due to a notable decrease in the area used for cotton farming in Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab. After reporting 16 lakh hectares of cotton last year, these states now record 10.23 hectares under cotton.
Just 97,000 hectares of cotton were grown in Punjab, dramatically decreasing from the typical 7.58 lakh hectares throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In the same vein, the acreage planted for cotton declined in both Rajasthan and Haryana in 2024, from 8.35 lakh hectares to 4.75 lakh hectares and 5.75 lakh hectares to 4.50 lakh hectares, respectively.
Delays in Brazilian and American shipments increased demand for Indian cotton from nearby mills, supporting cotton prices further. In contrast to last month, the 2024–25 U.S. cotton predictions show larger beginning and ending stockpiles; predicted output, domestic usage, and exports are expected to stay the same.
But a drop in new-crop cotton futures has left the season average upland farm price at 70 cents per pound, down 4 cents from the May estimate. Ending stockpiles, at 4.1 million, or 28% of usage, are 400,000 bales higher. The cotton balance sheet for 2024–2025 indicates a rise in global beginning stocks, output, and consumption while leaving global trade steady. The estimated global ending stock of 83.5 million is 480,000 bales greater than in May.
