State-wise production of cotton during current cotton season and previous cotton season, as estimated by Cotton Advisory Board (CAB) are as under:-
| State | Cotton Production (in lakh bales) | |
2018-19 | 2019-20 | |
| Punjab | 10.00 | 13.00 |
| Haryana | 23.00 | 22.00 |
| Rajasthan | 26.00 | 25.00 |
| Gujarat | 87.50 | 95.00 |
| Maharashtra | 75.50 | 82.00 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 24.00 | 20.00 |
| Telangana | 43.00 | 53.00 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 14.50 | 20.00 |
| Karnataka | 15.00 | 18.00 |
| Tamil Nadu | 5.00 | 6.00 |
| Orissa | 4.50 | 4.00 |
| Others | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Total | 330.00 | 360.00 |
Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Fair Average Quality (FAQ) grade seed cotton fixed by the Government for current cotton season 2019-20 and previous cotton season 2018-19 is as under:-
| FAQ grade variety | MSP in Rs./Quintal | |
2018-19 | 2019-20 | |
| Medium Staple Cotton | 5150 | 5255 |
| Long Staple Cotton | 5450 | 5550 |
The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) is purchasing cotton under Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations in all the cotton growing states by operating more than 400 cotton procurement centres. State-wise procurement of cotton under MSP operations by CCI during current cotton season 2019-20 is given below:-
| State | MSP Purchases during cotton season3 2019-20 as on 13.09.20 (Qty in Lakh bales) |
| Punjab | 3.56 |
| Haryana | 6.23 |
| Rajasthan | 3.76 |
| Gujarat | 11.05 |
| Maharashtra | 26.25 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 4.43 |
| Telangana | 41.80 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 2.68 |
| Karnataka | 3.49 |
| Orissa | 1.61 |
| Tamil Nadu | 0.28 |
| Total | 105.14 |
Every year, there have been the demands from the farmers of various cotton growing states for procurement of excess moistured cotton. However, as per Minimum Support Price (MSP) guidelines, Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) Limited is mandated to purchase Fair Average Quality (FAQ) grade cotton only. CCI maintained FAQ norms in all procurement of cotton wherein maximum permissible limit for moisture content is 12 percent.
In order to motivate farmers to realize appropriate prices for their cotton, the benefits of bringing dry cotton for sale in Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) are being emphasized by displaying posters by CCI at prominent places like villages, APMC, G&P factories, etc.Further, CCI has given wide publicity through print media, banners and posters at all prominent places like market yards, villages and G&P factory to apprise the farmers of its presence and assurance that CCI will be present in the market till last arrivals of FAQ cotton conclude.
As per Cotton Crop report dated 10.09.2020 of Directorate of Cotton Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, cotton cultivation for ensuing cotton season 2020-21 is expected to increase by around 3% to around 130 lakh hectares in comparison to 126 lakh hectares during cotton season 2019-20. Thus, there is no adverse impact on cotton cultivation due to COVID -19.
This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Textiles Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani in Lok Sabha today.
