Declining Cotton Acreage in India: Implications for Agriculture and Textile Sector

Livemint - Economy · 21 Mar 2026 · 2 min read
Prelims · Agriculture Mains · GS3 Agriculture High relevance

India's cotton acreage has declined by nearly a fifth to 11.2 million hectares in 2025-26 due to low productivity, erratic weather, and pest attacks, with farmers shifting to rice and maize. This shift threatens India's textile industry, farmer incomes, and export competitiveness, highlighting structural issues in agriculture.

Key points

Cotton Acreage Decline: India's cotton area has fallen from 13.4 million hectares in 2019-20 to 11.2 million hectares in 2025-26, a reduction of nearly 20%, due to volatile productivity caused by erratic weather and pest attacks.

Shift to Rice and Maize: Rice and maize acreages have expanded by 18.7% and 64.7% respectively, as farmers opt for crops with more stable yields and better returns, supported by government policies like MSP.

Productivity Gap: India's cotton yield of 430–450 kg per hectare lags behind global leaders like Australia (1,800-2,200 kg/ha) and China (1,800–2,000 kg/ha), highlighting technological stagnation and poor pest management.

Cotton Mission 2025-26: The Union budget allocated ₹500 crore to boost cotton productivity through technology support, focusing on extra-long staple varieties to enhance farmer incomes and ensure quality cotton supply.

Textile Industry Impact: The decline in cotton production threatens India's textile industry, which relies heavily on domestic cotton, potentially affecting export competitiveness and employment in the sector.

Structural Issues: The shift reflects deeper problems in Indian agriculture, including reliance on outdated GM technologies like Bollgard-II, while countries like Brazil have advanced to Bollgard-VI.

Global Comparison: India's cotton yields are significantly lower than global averages (750–800 kg/ha), with even Pakistan outperforming India (700–800 kg/ha), underscoring the need for urgent reforms.

[GS3-Economy] The shift to maize is partly driven by demand from the ethanol blending programme and livestock feed industry, aligning with India's biofuel and dairy sector growth strategies.

Way Forward: India should accelerate adoption of advanced GM technologies, improve pest management systems, and enhance farmer access to high-yield seed varieties. Additionally, integrating cotton with MSP policies and expanding the Cotton Mission's scope to include climate-resilient practices can stabilize production.

Key terms

Bollgard-II and Bollgard-VI

Genetically modified (GM) cotton technologies, with Bollgard-VI being more advanced than Bollgard-II. India's reliance on outdated Bollgard-II has contributed to low productivity, while countries like Brazil have adopted newer variants, highlighting India's technology gap in agriculture.

Minimum Support Price (MSP)

A government-backed price guarantee for certain crops to ensure farmer income stability. The shift to rice and maize is partly due to MSP assurances, contrasting with cotton's lack of similar price support, affecting farmer choices.

Pink Bollworm (PBW)

A major pest affecting cotton crops, whose rising resistance to existing GM technologies has exacerbated yield losses. Effective pest management is crucial for reviving cotton productivity, linking to broader agricultural sustainability challenges.

Cotton Mission 2025-26

A ₹500 crore initiative announced in the Union budget to enhance cotton productivity through technological support, focusing on extra-long staple varieties. It aims to address stagnant yields and boost farmer incomes, critical for India's textile sector and agricultural GDP.