India ranks second in the world in ranking of the cotton producing states, closely following China. Cotton is considered the topmost Indian cash crop that contributes significantly to the national agro-economy. India produces the first-rate quality primary raw material for the cotton industry globally and generates colossal revenue every year through cotton production. Over 125 lakh hectares of land are used in cotton production, which yields nearly 500 lakh bales of cotton.
Cotton production depends on various factors like temperature, soil, climate, labor cost, fertilizers, and adequate rain. Several states produce a huge amount of cotton in India every year, but the efficiency varies from state to state. Below are the top 10 largest cotton-producing conditions in India in 2021 to give you a fair idea regarding the national cotton production scenario.
Gujarat
Gujarat is the largest cotton producing states in India, with a production of around 125 lakh bales. Gujarat is bestowed with black soil and an annual rainfall of 80-100cm, making it a favorable region for cotton production. Cotton is one of the primary crops produced in Gujarat, which is grown on over 30 lakh hectares of land. The state contributes 30% to the total cotton production of India.
Maharashtra
Considering the total cotton production in India, Maharashtra stands at two positions after Gujarat. Since Maharashtra is a more significant state than Gujarat in terms of land area, the available land for cultivation is also huge, around 41 lakh hectares. Maharashtra produces about 89 lakh bales of cotton every year.
Telangana
Telangana is a newly formed state that came into existence in 2014 and became the third-largest cotton producing states in the country. Cotton is grown in a large area in the state, over 16 Lakh Hectares of land. Telangana has produced around 48-50 lakh bales of cotton per year.
Karnataka
Karnataka is next on this list with a production of 28 Lakh Bales, which account for 7% of the
country’s total cotton production. Cotton is mainly grown in the North Karnataka Plateaus, offering an ideal climate and soil for cotton production. The whole area under cotton cultivation in Karnataka exceeds 7.5 Lakh Hectares of land.
Haryana
Haryana is at 5the position for cotton production. It produces around 20-21 lakh bales of cotton every year. The northern state contributes 6% of the total cotton grown in India, and over 6 lakh hectares of land are utilized for cotton production in Haryana.
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh is the next state on the list, which has around 19-20 Lakh Bales. The total area under cotton plantations is over 5 Lakh Hectares. It gives tough competition to states like Haryana and Punjab. Madhya Pradesh produces around 4-4.5% of the country’s total cotton production and the industry generates lots of employment.
Rajasthan
The 7th position on this list is occupied by Rajasthan, which has a production of 17 Lakh Bales.
Rajasthan has allocated nearly 4 lakh hectares of land in cotton cultivation, and the total area produces 4% cotton from India’s total production. The Confederation of the Indian textile industry has also been active and focused on many regions of Rajasthan to improve output and introduce hi-tech agriculture techniques.
Punjab
With a production of 14 Lakh Bales,, Punjab is placed 8th in the list of the top 10 largest cotton-producing states in India. The state has been growing in net production recently as the cultivators employ modern cultivation technologies. The State Government has been giving continued support to the cultivators.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu stands at number 9 on the list. Despite the ordinary climatic and resource conditions, Tamil Nadu delivers a pretty decent amount of good quality cotton. This state produces around 5-6 lakh bales of cotton every year. It accounts for more than 6% of the total cotton production in the country, and cotton is grown in 70,000 hectares of land in the state.
Orissa
Orissa witnesses the lowest amount of cotton in comparison to the other states mentioned above. It produces 3-4 lakh bales of cotton every year that contributes around 1.4% of the country’s total cotton production.
Conclusion
Before 1970, the cotton production in India was not good as it had to depend on the raw material import from overseas. After 1970, many productive technologies were introduced, accompanied by a range of farmer awareness programs targeting the optimum production of cotton in the country itself.
With time, the cotton production in India reached soaring heights, and the nation can become the first most cotton-producing country in the world.
