Textile Commissioner A.B. Joshi foresees a 10 to 15 per cent reduction in cotton area this season as compared to the last.
(The area under cotton during the last season was 122 lakh hectares).
“This reduction in area is not only due to deficit rainfall, but also the price perception,” he clarified, on the sidelines of a two-day International Conference on Industrial Textiles – InduTech 2012, which was inaugurated at the PSG College of Technology here this morning.
He, however, allayed fears on the production front, stating ‘We don’t expect a major decline in yield levels. Global cotton availability has been in excess of demand and the imported cotton is found to be 4 to 5 cents/ pound cheaper than the domestically available cotton. Some imports are happening,’ he added.