California’s cotton crop, fourth largest in the nation, is expected to witness a decline of 24 per cent this year. California farmers grew cotton on 1.65 million acres in 1979 and 667,000 acres in 2005, but only expect to harvest 160,000 acres this year. It is the lowest acreage farmed for cotton since the economic slowdown. Once booming business is now suffering because of economic upheavals and drought situation.

Farmers grow two kinds of cotton in the area, Upland and Pima. Upland is the common cotton used in a variety of clothing products, while Pima is the fancy, high-priced premium product. California’s crop was almost entirely Upland until it was overtaken by Pima in 2007. However, Pima production has also on the decline since 2011. Pima is expected to be around 75 per cent of this year’s cotton crop.

California grows 90-95 per cent of the country’s Pima cotton, which is convenient, since the state dominates high-end apparel manufacturing. The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporations says Los Angeles tops nationally in apparel overall and at the second position in textile manufacturing. Southern California produces 75 per cent of the high-end denim worn worldwide.