New mission taking shape to tackle India's cotton crisis

The Centre has begun the groundwork for launching a National Cotton Productivity Mission, with discussions underway to chart out a strategy focused on crop diversification, yield improvement, introduction of new seed varieties and promoting mechanised farming, two officials said.

- Dhirendra Kumar & Vijay C. Roy

These measures are aimed at revitalizing the cotton economy amid inconsistent yields. India's cotton industry, the world's second-largest, has been grappling with shrinking yields unable to keep up with advanced farming practices and technology, prompting a series of emergency measures by the government.

India's cotton output dropped from about 33.7 million bales in 2022-23 to 32.5 million bales in FY24 and an estimated 30.7 million bales in FY25, according to agriculture ministry data. One bale is 170 kg of cotton.