Despite the state government's target of 4 lakh hectares of cotton to reduce land occupied by paddy, the area under cotton in Punjab has decreased by 18% this year.
Cotton was planted on approximately 3.03 lakh hectares of land last year, compared to the target of 3.25 lakh hectares.
This year, it fell by 18% to 2.48 lakh hectares, compared to the government target of 4 lakh hectares, achieving only 62% of the target area in Punjab.
According to the study by The Indian Express, the data was released until June 9.
Fazilka district earned the best out of Punjab's cotton belt, which includes Bathinda, Fazilka, Mansa, Mukatsar, Moga, Barnala, Sangrur, and Faridkot, with the highest area under cotton this year until June 9, with 93,000 hectares under cotton, though it was still 2,000 hectares less than last year.
One of the major reasons cited by district administrations for the cotton industry's decline was a lack of water due to the Sirhind canal breach, as well as an irregular supply of electricity, which prevented farmers from using tube wells.
One of the main reasons for less cotton sowing in the state was erratic power outages lasting for long periods.
According to district officials, their requests to regulate water and electricity supply fell on deaf ears, resulting in a crop loss overall.
According to some officials, a pink Bollworm insect attacked cotton last year, discouraging many farmers from starting cotton farms. Due to a 20% decrease in wheat yield, many farmers preferred to grow paddy instead of cotton for higher profit margins.
Cotton Farming
Cotton is the world's most important fiber crop, not just in India. It supplies the cotton textile industry with the basic raw material. Cotton provides a direct livelihood for 6 million farmers in India, and the cotton trade and processing employs 40-50 million people.
A farmer could harvest 200 pounds of cotton per day when picking by hand. 200 pounds can now be harvested in 90 seconds using modern farming equipment. Mechanical picker spindles pick and twist raw cotton fiber from the bur, which is captured in a basket on the picker's back.
