Cotton
Cotton is India’s most important fibre crop. Think of it as the backbone of the textile industry — from a simple kurta to designer wear, cotton is central.
But cotton isn’t just about fibre. The cotton seed has two crucial uses:
- It’s crushed for oil, which is used in the vanaspati (vegetable oil) industry.
- The residual oilcake becomes fodder for milch cattle — helping in milk production.
So, cotton supports both industry and agriculture. It is not just a fibre crop; it’s a multi-utility crop. Known as “White-Gold” due to its economic importance.
Conditions for Growth
Season & Climate: Cotton as a Kharif Crop
Cotton is grown in the kharif season, meaning it is sown with the arrival of the monsoon and harvested in winter. But this is not just because of rain — cotton is fundamentally a tropical crop, suited to semi-arid regions.
Ideal Climatic Conditions:
- Temperature: 21°C to 30°C (Uniformly high throughout)
- Rainfall: Light (50–100 cm), or irrigation if rainfall is low
- Frost-free Days: At least 210 days
- Sunlight: Bright sunshine is essential, especially at flowering and ripening stages
Soil
Cotton is deep-rooted — literally and metaphorically. So, it needs deep soils.
Best Soil Types:
- Regur Soil (Black cotton soil): Found in Deccan Plateau, Malwa Plateau, Gujarat
- Alluvial Soil: In the Sutlej-Ganga Plain
- Red & Laterite Soils: In southern peninsular India
However, cotton is a soil-exhaustive crop — it quickly depletes nutrients. So, crop rotation or fertiliser use is essential to maintain soil health.
Labour and Picking: A Manual Affair
- Cotton picking is not mechanised in most parts of India.
- Labour-intensive — Requires cheap, skilled labour (mainly women).
- Picking happens over 3 months, as bolls don’t ripen all at once.
Unfavourable Conditions: What Hurts Cotton?
- Temperature below 20°C → Growth slows.
- Frost → Enemy number one (Destroys the plant).
- Moist conditions at boll-opening → Encourages pest infestation and fibre rotting.
- Rainfed Areas → 65% of Indian cotton is grown under rainfed conditions → Erratic monsoon = Risky business
- Pests → More than 100 species attack cotton, most notably bollworms.
Crop Season and Regional Variations
| Region | Sowing Time | Harvesting Time | Special Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punjab & Haryana | April – May | December – January | Early sowing to avoid winter frost |
| Peninsular India | Up to October | January – May | No frost → longer growing window |
| Tamil Nadu (Kharif) | October | April – May | Sown before retreating monsoon for good rainfall |
| Tamil Nadu (Rabi) | January – February | August – September | Irrigation used, and dry August–September ideal for picking |
Most of the time, cotton is grown along with other kharif crops like maize, jowar, ragi, etc. → This helps farmers diversify risk.
Types of Cotton: Based on Fibre Quality
Cotton is classified based on fibre length and quality:
1. Long Staple Cotton (24–27 mm)
- Superior quality, lustrous
- Used for premium cloth
- Fetches high prices
- ~50% of Indian production
- Found in: Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, MP, AP
2. Medium Staple Cotton (20–24 mm)
- Moderate quality
- ~44% of Indian production
- Found in: Rajasthan, TN, MP, UP, Karnataka, Maharashtra
3. Short Staple Cotton (<20 mm)
- Inferior quality
- Used in low-grade cloth
- ~6% of Indian production
- Found in: Uttar Pradesh, AP, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab
Diversity of Cotton Species Grown in India
India is the only country in the world that grows all four species of cotton. These species are:
- Gossypium arboreum (Asian Cotton),
- Gossypium herbaceum (Asian Cotton),
- Gossypium barbadense (Egyptian cotton), and
- Gossypium hirsutum (American Upland cotton).
Cotton Growing Zones in India
India has the unique distinction of growing all three cultivated species of cotton in three agro-ecological zones:
- Northern Zone → Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan
- Central Zone → Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh
- Southern Zone → Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
Top Cotton Producing States: Gujarat (26.13%) > Maharashtra (24.70%) > Telangana (17.07%) > Rajasthan (8.24%)
Cotton Production: India and World
- India has largest area under cotton cultivation in the world.
- India and China are the largest producers of cotton in the world followed by USA. However, yield of China is way higher than India
Top Cotton Producers in World: 2024–25
| Rank | Country | Production (Million 480lb. bales) | % of World Total | Area (M ha) | Yield (kg/ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 32.00 | 26.47% | 2.90 | 2402 |
| 2 | India | 25.00 | 20.67% | 11.80 | 461 |
| 3 | Brazil | 17.00 | 14.06% | 1.97 | 1879 |
| 4 | United States | 14.41 | 11.92% | 3.35 | 938 |
| — | World Total | 120.89 | 100% | 30.80 | 854 |
Bt Cotton: The Technological Leap
- Bt = Bacillus thuringiensis, a soil bacterium that produces Bt toxin.
- This toxin kills bollworms, a major cotton pest.
- Scientists induce this gene into cotton, making it genetically modified to resist bollworms.
India’s Journey:
- Introduced in 2002
- Maharashtra has the largest Bt cotton area, followed by AP, Gujarat, MP
- Punjab and Haryana dominate in the north.
Pros:
- Reduced use of pesticides (at first)
- Increased area and production
Cons (Long-term issues):
- Bt targets only bollworms, but 100+ other pests remain
- New pests emerged
- Resistance developed in pests, esp. in China
- Yields declined over time
Analogy: Bt cotton is like using an antivirus on your computer — it works great at first, but if you don’t update it or if hackers evolve, you’re vulnerable again.
International Trade Angle
- India exports mostly inferior-quality cotton to UK and other countries
- Imports long-staple cotton from USA, Sudan, Kenya etc. — to blend and improve textile quality
✅ In Summary
Cotton is:
- A tropical kharif crop with high sun and low rain demands
- Grown across three major zones
- Soil- and labour-intensive
- Vulnerable to climatic risks and pests
- Supported by Bt technology, though not a perfect solution
- A key player in India’s agrarian economy and textile exports
Importance of Cotton
- Economic Significance: Cotton is a major cash crop in India, providing livelihoods to millions of farmers and supporting the country’s large textile industry.
- Global Position: India is the largest producer of cotton globally, playing a crucial role in the international cotton market.
- Textile Industry Backbone: Cotton is the primary raw material for the textile industry, which is a significant contributor to India’s GDP and export earnings.
- Employment Generation: The cotton industry, from farming to textiles, creates employment opportunities across various sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, and trade.
- Cultural Importance: Cotton has historical and cultural significance in India, being central to traditional clothing and crafts.
Recent developments related to Cotton Crop:
- May 2025: India’s cotton production is expected to decline by 2% in the 2025–26 season, according to the US Department of Agriculture, due to a shift in farmer preference toward more profitable crops like maize and groundnut.
- March 2025: India’s cotton imports have significantly increased in recent months, with imports reaching $104 million in August 2024 and rising to $184.64 million in January 2025, compared to $19.62 million in January 2024.
- In the Union Budget 2025–26, the Government of India introduced a comprehensive five-year initiative known as the Mission for Cotton Productivity. This mission aims to revitalize India’s cotton sector by enhancing productivity, particularly focusing on extra-long staple (ELS) cotton varieties, and ensuring the sustainability of cotton farming.
