Atul Ganatra, Chairman Of The Indian Cotton Association (CAI): Affected By Drought And The Threat Of Cotton Bollworm

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According to foreign news on October 6, market participants said that the long-term drought from August to September, together with the damage caused by cotton bollworm in northern India, may affect the yield and quality of cotton in 2023/24 (October to September of the next year). The cotton planting area decreased by 5% this year, and the sowing was delayed by 15-20 days due to the delayed monsoon rains.

Atul Ganatra, chairman of the Indian Cotton Association (CAI), said: "It rained in May, but it was dry in June. There was a record heavy rainfall in July, and it was completely dry in August. It was dry in the first half of September, but it began to rain heavily in the second half. October deserves close attention. The 45 day drought from August to September will reduce the yield per unit area and affect the quality."

CAI estimates that the cotton inventory at the end of September 2022/23 will be 2.7 million bales.

Ganatra said that industry insiders expected that the cotton harvest in 2023/24 would be clear by the end of this month, and added that people had been paying attention to the sales of kapas (raw cotton). Ganatra said that, including new and old crops, the daily delivery volume on the market is estimated to be about 50000 to 55000 bags.

Ramanuj DasBoob, vice chairman of the National Cotton Brokers Association, said that the price of old cotton hovered around 7200-7300 rupees per kilowatt, and the price of new cotton was about 7000 rupees.

The infestation of pink cotton bollworm mainly occurs in northern India, and also affects crop output and quality. Bhagirath Chaudhary, of the South Asia Biotechnology Center in Jodhpur, said: "The cotton growing areas in Haryana and North Rajasthan were seriously invaded by pink cotton bollworm, which caused huge losses to small cotton farmers in some areas."

"This year is the year with the highest infestation degree of pink cotton bollworm since the first report in northern India in 2021/22. This situation is exacerbated by the early flowering of cotton and the survival of suicide population of pink cotton bollworm."