COTTON PRODUCTION TO REACH 216 LAKH BALES BY 2006-07

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The Union Government with active support of the State Governments in the cotton growing areas is taking several steps to ensure adequate quantity of quality cotton to the textile sector of the country in the immediate short run as well as in the long run. It has launched the Technology Mission of Cotton w.e.f. 12.01.2000 to give a focused impetus to cotton research and development for increasing yield and enhancing the quality of cotton to bring it to international standards. Responding to international competition and technology advancement, the Government has opened up Indian soil to genetically modified cotton. The import of raw cotton is already under Open General License (OGL) w.e.f. 19.04.1994 with the objective to maintain balance in the supply and demand of cotton in the country.

The total production of cotton during the last five cotton years (October-September) has been 158.00 bales during 1997-98; 165.00 bales during 1998-99; 156.00 bales during 1999-2000, 140.00 bales during 2000-01 and 158.00 bales during 2001-02. (One bale is 170 kg.). The Working Group of Textile and Jute Industries for the Tenth Five Year Plan has projected production of 216 lakh bales of cotton, on the basis of 40 per cent rise in the yield on an area of 87.5 lakh hectares, by the end of the Tenth Plan period, i.e. 2006-07, as against the estimated consumption of 215 lakh bales.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Textiles, Shri Basanagouda R. Patil, in reply to a question by Shri C. Ramachandraiah in the Rajya Sabha today.