The position of cotton seems favourable at this juncture as the crop has been advancing quite well so far, but the next few days could be crucial. Though there is no doubt of a bumper crop, the challenge, however, lies in managing the fibre as mill consumption has slipped significantly, said P Nataraj, Vice-President, Indian Cotton Federation (ICF).

Chairing the 38th Annual General Meeting of ICF, he brought to mind the Cotton Advisory Board's crop estimate for 2016-17 cotton season at 345-lakh bales (170 kg each).

“Normal monsoon and higher realisation, compared to other cash crops, has actually pushed farmers to sow cotton. The area under the crop in 2017-18 is expected to rise at least 10 to 15 per cent of the earlier season’s acreage,” said Atul Asher, Honorary Secretary, ICF.

The area has been estimated at less than 120 million hectares in 2016-17, and ICF sources predict a 10 to 15 per cent increase from the 2016-17 acreage during the 2017-18 cotton season.

Eye on prices

In a brief chat with this correspondent, Nataraj said that he expected the prices to remain flat at the fag-end of the season, and the closing inventory at a reasonably comfortable level.

“The prices at close of season tend to move north. But last year it remained stable throughout at around ₹40,000 and above. This has enthused more farmers to switch to cotton from other crops; arrivals are expected by mid-October. Reports of white fly in Punjab and the floods in Gujarat are expected to cause some yield loss. The Centre, in its bid at doubling farmers’ income, has mooted a proposal for developing model farms through precision farming, use of quality seeds and inputs, among others.”

To a query on quality issues, he said the federation and other associations such as the Southern India Mills Association have been pressing the Centre to intervene, as the mills in the south were forced to reckon with contaminated supplies from Gujarat.

Meanwhile, J Thulasidharan has been elected as President of ICF for 2017-18. P Nataraj and K N Vishwanathan were elected as Vice-Presidents of the federation.

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