Government Launches Mission To Boost Cotton Productivity Amid Declining Output

The Ministry of Textiles has highlighted a continued decline in cotton production in recent years, driven by multiple factors including reduced cultivation area, adverse climatic conditions such as uneven rainfall and extreme temperatures in rainfed regions, the negative impact of monocropping on soil health, farmers shifting to more profitable crops, and the resurgence of major pests like pink bollworm and whitefly. Additional disease pressures, including cotton leaf curl virus, boll rot, Tobacco Streak Virus and emerging secondary pests, have further contributed to reduced yields.

To address these challenges and strengthen the cotton value chain, the Government has launched a five-year Mission for Cotton Productivity, announced in the Union Budget 2025–26. The Mission aims to enhance productivity and quality through targeted research, extension activities and the development of climate-smart, pest-resistant and high-yielding varieties, including Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton using advanced breeding and biotechnology.

Further, a Special Project on Cotton titled ‘Targeting Technologies to Agro-Ecological Zones – Large-Scale Demonstration of Best Practices to Enhance Cotton Productivity’ is being implemented by ICAR–CICR across eight major cotton-growing states under the National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM) for FY 2023–24 and 2024–25 and has been extended into FY 2025–26. The project focuses on improving productivity and increasing ELS cotton production through region-specific technologies and best practices.

Under the Mission, districts have been identified for targeted productivity enhancement based on low yields and cultivation coverage. ICAR–CICR has also mapped high-productivity districts across major cotton-producing states. The State-wise list of districts categorized as large-area low-productivity, less-area low-productivity, large-area high-productivity and less-area high-productivity has been compiled for strategic interventions.

The Government remains committed to revitalising the cotton sector through technology adoption, scientific innovation and large-scale capacity building to ensure improved productivity, profitability and sustainability for cotton farmers across the country.