Cotton sowing touches record high

Cotton sowing has reached a record high of about 120 lakh hectares in the country during the ongoing kharif season on the back of good rainfall in key growing regions. The area under cotton has grown 6.4 per cent year-on-year, or an increase of 7.23 lakh hectares, as on August 24, data with the Union Agriculture Ministry showed.

Telangana has seen the highest increase in cotton acreage. Cotton sowing has risen by nearly three lakh hectares in Telangana. The area under cotton has increased by 2.26 lakh hectares in Maharashtra, which is the second largest producer of cotton in the country after Gujarat.

Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have also reported increase in cotton sowing. The area under cotton has moved up by 0.42 lakh hectares in Gujarat. Sowing has declined only in Karnataka, which has seen a drop in monsoon rains and Punjab.