As of Aug 22, 2024, the area under cultivation in India reduced to 111.386 lakh hectare from 122.742 lakh hectare during the same period last year. All major cotton-producing states have reported a decline in acreage this season.

Two of the largest cotton-producing states, Maharashtra and Gujarat have witnessed a significant decrease in cotton cultivation. Rajasthan and Punjab are the most affected states by this reduction, largely due to the impact of the Pink Bollworm infestation last season, which discouraged farmers from planting cotton.

Cotton cultivation in India begins in June and typically continues until August or mid-September, so the current shortfall in the area under cotton cultivation is unlikely to recover as more than 90 per cent of sowing has been completed. According to the state-wise detailed weekly report by the Ministry of Agriculture, there has been an approximate 9 per cent decrease in the total area under cotton cultivation this year compared to the last year.

Last year, India's average cotton sowing area stood at 122.951 lakh hectare during this corresponding week. In Punjab, the acreage has drastically reduced to just 1 lakh hectare from 2.140 lakh hectare last year, while Rajasthan's area has decreased from 7.908 lakh hectares to 5.132 lakh hectare.

The report further notes, Maharashtra's cotton sowing area has decreased to 40.785 lakh hectare from 41.866 lakh hectare last year, Madhya Pradesh to 6.149 lakh hectare from 6.500 lakh hectare, Karnataka to 6.690 lakh hectare from 6.557 lakh hectare, Haryana to 6.650 lakh hectare from 6.584 lakh hectare, Gujarat to 23.580 lakh hectare from 26.790 lakh hectare, Telangana to 17.090 lakh hectare from 18.018 lakh hectare, and Andhra Pradesh to 3.500 lakh hectare from 3.690 lakh hectare.