Bathinda: Cotton acreage, output and overall crop yields have dropped over the last six years, according to data tabled in Rajya Sabha by Union minister of state for textiles Pabitra Margherita in response to a query by MP Pramod Tiwari.Figures sourced from an April 2026 meeting of the Committee on Cotton Production and Consumption show that the total area under cotton cultivation contracted from 132.85 lakh hectares in 2020–21 to 114.82 lakh hectares in 2025–26. Overall production dropped from 352.48 lakh bales in 2020–21 down to 290.91 lakh bales in 2025–26 (1 bale = 170 kg). National productivity slipped from 451 kg per hectare to 431 kg per hectare over the same six-year span, peaking at 443 kg in 2022–23 before sliding down. In Punjab, cotton coverage plummeted to an all-time low of roughly 80,000 hectares for the 2026–27 season, down sharply from 1.19 lakh hectares in 2025–26. Despite state govt targets to revive sowing to 1.25 lakh hectares, Punjab achieved just 64% of its goal as local farmers abandoned the crop. To prevent raw material shortages for the domestic textile industry, raw cotton imports nearly doubled in a single year, jumping from 562,224 tonnes in 2024–25 to 1,013,455 tonnes in 2025–26. In his response, the minister attributed the fall in output primarily to shifting land-use patterns, saying farmers have increasingly diversified toward more remunerative alternative crops. He added that while overall production has dropped, lint productivity has remained broadly stable within the 428–451 kg/hectare range. The minister said the govt has taken measures to support the textile industry, including exemption of the 11% import duty on cotton imports from June 1 to Oct 31 to facilitate adequate availability of raw cotton at competitive prices. Govt has also continued the exemption from import duty on extra long staple cotton effective from Feb 20, 2024, to facilitate the availability of quality cotton for the textile industry.
