This year’s cotton crop in India may well be the lowest in a decade. The Cotton Association of India (CAI) now estimates 33.5 million bales (170 kgs each) for this year’s (October 2018-September 2019) crop.
In October 2018, the estimate was about 34.8 million bales. Within a 3-month duration, the estimate has been downsized by 1.3 million (13 lakh) bales. Deficient rainfall has been attributed to be the main reason, which has been evident in the plant sizes even in October. Plant sizes were observed to be not more than four feet during the period, when 5-6 feet of growth would normally have been observed.
Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar is a professor in the Department of Environmental Toxicology and The Institute of Environmental and Human Health at Texas Tech University, and a frequent contributor to Cotton Grower.
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