Cotton acreage, so far, was 108.45 lh, a tad lower than 108.73 lh a year ago.

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As the kharif sowing season heads for closure, cotton acreage this kharif is seen at par with last year’s levels, topping 108 lakh hectares (lh) as of August 21. Southern States such as Telangana, Andhra, Karnataka, besides Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have seen the cotton area expand, offsetting declines in Maharashtra and Rajasthan, while stakeholders said September rains are crucial to boost yields.Cotton acreage, so far, is 108.45 lh, a tad lower than 108.73 lh a year ago.In Maharashtra, the state with the largest cotton area, acreage was 38.22 lh, a tad lower than the corresponding 38.37 lh a year ago. Similarly, in Rajasthan, it was lower by around 6 per cent at 5.38 lh (6.44 lh in the same period last year). However, the decline in these states is offset by higher area in Telangana and Karnataka, among others.Condition excellentIn Telangana, the area is up 7.28 per cent at 19.5 lh (18.18 lh), while in Karnataka, cotton has gained 1.84 per cent at 7.76 lh (7.62 lh).In Andhra, the area is up 2.26 per cent at 3.85 lh (3.78 lh), while in Madhya Pradesh, the increase is about 2.28 per cent at 5.84 lh (5.71 lh). In Gujarat, the cotton acreage stood higher by around 3.23 per cent at 21.35 lh (20.68 lh)“Crop condition is excellent as of date,” said Atul S Ganatra, Chairman of the Crop Committee at the Cotton Association of India (CAI), the apex trade body.Ganatra said the coming 30 days are crucial for the crop. We need to wait until the end of September to project the crop size,” he said.He said that cotton in the north is also fine. The continuous rains in Maharashtra, MP and Telangana so far have helped the cotton crop.“Overall, the crop conditions are good. There’s a need for another round of rains in the next 10-15 days, especially in Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, to get very good yields,” Ganatra said.Ramanuj Das Boob, a sourcing agent in Raichur, said the overall crop seems to be better. There is a need for some rain in Karnataka to support the crop, he said. Sowing has almost ended, but in some areas there could be resowing, he said.Published on August 25, 2026