Centre approves Rs 5,600 crore cotton productivity mission

• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved Rs 5,659.22 crore for ‘Mission for Cotton Productivity’ (2026-27 to 2030-31) to address bottlenecks, declining growth, and quality concerns in India’s cotton sector.

• India is the second largest cotton producer with 297 lakhs bales (170 kg each) in 2024-25. 

• The mission envisages to accomplish the production of 498 lakh bales (170 kg each) of cotton by enhancing lint productivity from 440 kg/ha to 755 kg/ha by 2031.

Cotton sector in India

• Cotton is one of the most important cash crops and accounts for around 23 per cent of the total global fibre production. 

• India occupies first position in the world in cotton acreage with 113.60 lakh hectares under cotton cultivation which is around 36 per cent of the world area of 316.20 lakh hectares. 

• Approximately 62 per cent of India’s cotton is produced on rain-fed areas and 38 per cent on irrigated lands. 

• Apart from being the provider of a basic necessity of life — clothing which is next only to food — cotton is also one of the largest contributor to India’s net foreign exchange by way of exports in the form of raw cotton, intermediate products such as yarn and fabrics to ultimate finished products in the form of garments, made ups and knitwear. 

• Due to its economic importance in India, it is also termed as “white gold”.

• Cotton plays a major role in sustaining the livelihood of an estimated six million cotton farmers and 40-50 million people engaged in related activities such as cotton processing and trade. 

• India grows all four known species of cultivated cotton. They are Gossypium arboreum, G.herbaceum, G.hirsutum and G.barbadense.

• To support the cotton industry, the government of India announces Minimum Support Price (MSP) for two basic staples groups — medium staple (24.5mm-25.5 mm) and long staple (29.5-30.5) cotton. 

Mission for Cotton Productivity

• The mission aligns with the ‘5F vision’ (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign), and would focus on enhancing cotton productivity.

It will focus on:

i) Development of high-yielding, climate resilient, pest-resistant seeds, and other production/protection technologies.

ii) Upscaling improved cotton production technologies like High Density Planting System (HDPS), Closer Spacing (CS), Integrated Cotton Management, and promotion of Extra Long Staple (ELS) Cotton.

iii) Augmenting quality of cotton through capacity building and promoting modernisation of ginning and processing factories, including adoption of best processing practices. 

iv) Strengthening cotton testing infrastructure across the country with modern, standardised, and accredited facilities to ensure reliable quality assessment and global benchmarking.

v) Robust branding and traceability initiatives under Kasturi Cotton Bharat to position Indian cotton as a premium, sustainable, and globally trusted product.

vi) Empowering farmers through digital integration of market yards (mandis), enabling transparent price discovery, direct market access, and improved realisation through e-platforms.

vii) Promotion of cotton waste recycling and circular economy practices to enhance resource efficiency, reduce environmental footprint, and generate additional value streams for the industry.

viii) Diversification of India’s fibre base by including natural fibres like flax, ramie, sisal, milkweed, bamboo and banana and advancement of environmentally sustainable textile production and innovations. 

Implementation

• The mission will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Ministry of Textiles, involving 10 institutes of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), one institute of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and 10 centres of All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRPs) on cotton operating in different State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) of major cotton growing states.

• Initially, 140 districts will be focussed in 14 states through State Department of Agriculture and ICAR for upscaling the technologies. 

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)