Experts Warn of Declining Cotton Area, Urge Immediate Policy Intervention

Agricultural experts and policymakers have called for urgent and coordinated intervention to revive cotton cultivation across northern India, citing a steady decline in acreage and profitability of the crop in recent years. The concerns were raised during a meeting of the Interstate Consultative and Monitoring Committee on cotton held at Kheti Bhawan, where stakeholders emphasized the need for collective action to address mounting challenges faced by farmers.

The meeting was chaired by Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, and brought together representatives from key cotton-growing states including Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. The session, which extended late into the evening, focused on addressing the shrinking area under cotton cultivation and identifying solutions to improve farm-level outcomes.

Senior officials and scientists participated in the discussions, including representatives from the state agriculture departments, research and extension wings of PAU, and experts from the Central Institute for Cotton Research in Sirsa. The broad-based participation highlighted the scale of concern surrounding cotton production and the need for an integrated approach involving research, policy, and field-level implementation.

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A key focus of the deliberations was the persistent pest pressure and declining returns, which have discouraged farmers from continuing cotton cultivation. Participants stressed the importance of strengthening pest management strategies and ensuring better coordination among states to mitigate risks and restore confidence among growers in the cotton belt.

Outlining a roadmap for the upcoming Kharif 2026 season, Gosal emphasized the timely availability of high-quality, recommended seeds as a critical factor for improving productivity. He also advocated for subsidies on Bt cotton seeds to encourage adoption among farmers, noting that access to reliable inputs could play a vital role in reversing the declining trend in cotton acreage.

The meeting concluded with a consensus on the need for sustained collaboration among states and institutions to revive cotton viability in the region. Experts underscored that without immediate and coordinated measures, the continued shrinkage in cotton cultivation could have long-term implications for the agricultural economy and rural livelihoods in northern India.

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