Cotton continues to pass through rough weather. While farmers in Andhra Pradesh are set to lose production up to 50 per cent following a failed kharif season, cottonseed industry is busy collecting information from seed growers across the State and in Gujarat about the likely loss.
While dry spells severely impacted cotton in Andhra Pradesh, it was excessive rains that ruined cotton seed plantings in Gujarat – the two large cottonseed producing States. Of the 4.5 crore packets of seed market last year, their contribution was two crore packets.
The industry is expecting a loss of 30 per cent in cottonseed production. At the beginning of the season, it expected the production to be at 3.5 crore. “But prolonged dry spells have a telling impact on seed production,” Mr P Sateesh Kumar, President of Seedsmen Association of Andhra Pradesh, told
He, however, hastened to add that there was still hope because it was a long crop and there was time till November-December when output from late crops came. “We will have to wait and watch. We still have time to come back,” he said.
Gadwal area, which grows cottonseed in 25,000 acres, could come to the rescue as farmers go for late cropping. Eluru, with over 10,000 acres in coastal Andhra with an early crop, suffered severely. This is likely to cause a dent in the overall production.
However, Mr P Vidyasagar, Chairman and Managing Director of Vibha Seeds group, felt that production losses in Andhra Pradesh could be manageable. Losses from production facilities in Gujarat could be much more as untimely rains had spoilt the crop.
No buffer
The industry would have to saddle with emptied buffer stocks as they go to market for next kharif season. With a raise of about 15 per cent acreage during this kharif, companies fell back on buffers to the tune of 80 lakh packets to meet the demand.
“But there is no stock of premium seeds for next kharif,” Mr Sateesh Kumar pointed out.
The industry, however, estimated a drop in cotton area next year because of the setbacks farmers received this year. “This might compensate losses in production and lack of buffer stock,” a Nuziveedu Seeds representative commented.