The Cotton Advisory Board (CAB) has estimated 2012-13 season production at 340 lakh bales exports at 81 lakh bales, Parliament was informed today.

Cotton season runs from October to September.

“The CAB in its meeting on April 17, 2013, estimated a crop size of 340 lakh bales (170 kg each), consumption of 270 lakh bales and exports of 81 lakh bales,” Minister of State for Textiles Panabaaka Lakshmi said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

There is adequate cotton available in the country for domestic consumption, prices remain stable and no supply side disruptions have been observed, she added.

In the last cotton season, the natural fibre production stood at 352 lakh bales and exports were to the tune of about 127 lakh bales.

Asked whether the Government is considering to restrict the export of cotton or cotton yarn, Lakshmi said: “Cotton and cotton yarn markets are currently functioning in an orderly manner.”

On the hank yarn obligation, she said that this is a mechanism to ensure adequate availability of hank yarn to handloom weavers at reasonable prices.

The existing hank yarn packing notification prescribes that every producer of yarn, who packs yarn for civil consumption, shall pack 40 per cent of yarn in hank form on a quarterly basis and not less than 80 per cent of the hank yarn packed shall be of counts 80s and below.

“There is no change in the present policy on hank yarn obligation,” the Minister said.

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