For the 2026-27 marketing season, the Centre has increased the minimum support price by ₹557 per quintal to ₹8,267 for medium staple and ₹8,667 for long staple. | Photo Credit: Wirestock

Farmers are preferring to sow cotton this kharif even as the south-west monsoon makes progress, covering Karnataka and parts of Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In Gujarat, farmers have already brought close to one lakh hectares of land under cotton, while other states are yet to provide data.

According to the Gujarat Agriculture Department’s latest sowing data, farmers have planted cotton on 93,499 hectares as of June 8, which is higher than 34,011 hectares a year ago.

Atul Ganatra, chairman of the Crop Committee of the Cotton Association of India (CAI), said the planting has so far been completed on one lakh hectares in Gujarat. “Overall in Central India, cotton sowing is likely to increase by 15 per cent and by about 10-20 per cent in South India,” Ganatra said.

Though the area is projected to drop in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, Ganatra said the acreage is likely to increase substantially in Rajasthan. Overall, sowing will increase by 7-10 per cent in the northern region, too, due to a higher area in Rajasthan, Ganatra said.

Over 130 lh area likely

The expected sowing at the all-India level would be over 130 lakh hectares (lh) this season, Ganatra said, adding that with the forecast of lower rainfall, farmers have no other option but to go for cotton as it requires less water compared to other competing crops. Cotton was planted in about 114.82 lh during 2025-26, according to the Agriculture Ministry data. For the 2026-27 marketing season, the Centre has increased the minimum support price by ₹557 per quintal to ₹8,267 for medium staple and ₹8,667 for long staple.

Further, the increase in minimum support price (MSP) and the purchase of cotton at MSP by the Cotton Corporation of India have been a key factor for the farmers’ decision to plant cotton, he said.

“The cotton MSP has been increased by 7 per cent. CCI continues buying at MSP and supports farmers. Farmers are aware that cotton needs less water to grow compared to other crops. If El Nino becomes active as predicted, cotton could be a safer bet,” Ganatra said. Compared to cotton, the MSP of other competing crops, mainly groundnut, has increased by 3 per cent.

Weak demand

Ramanuj Das Boob, a sourcing agent in Raichur, Karnataka, said cotton sowing has started in areas that have received rain. In cotton-growing regions of Andhra, such as Adoni, Nandyal and Yemmiganur, about 70 per cent of the sowing has been completed. With another round of rains, the sowing will be complete, he said. Parts of Telangana, such as Mahabubnagar and adjoining areas, have received rain, he said.

Meanwhile, Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) made a further reduction in its sale price by ₹2,500 per candy to boost sales. On Monday, CCI sold some 8,500 bales to mills, while sales to the traders are a little over 20,000 bales, sources said.

“Demand continues to be weak, and yarn prices have come down as there is no movement. If yarn sales are hit, there won’t be demand for cotton,” he said.

Published on June 8, 2026