Gandhinagar: Cotton sowing in Gujarat has reached a record-breaking level not seen in the past eight years, with 26.64 lakh hectares (lh) of the crop sown during the current Kharif season. This is in contrast to other major cotton-producing states, which are experiencing a declining trend.

As of July 31, Gujarat, being the largest cotton producer in India, had completed cotton sowing on 26,64,565 hectares (ha), the highest sowing area since 2015–16.

The current season has seen Gujarat cross the 2.6 million-hectare mark for the first time since 2019–20. It represents a 13 percent increase in cotton acreage compared to the average of the previous three years, which stood at 23.60 lh. During this season, Surendranagar emerged as the largest cotton district, followed by Amreli, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, and Morbi.

An increase in cotton sowing area was recorded in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana, while Karnataka, Telangana, Punjab, and Maharashtra have reported declines.

While cotton sowing sees a positive trend, groundnut sowing, the second most significant cash crop in Gujarat, is lagging behind. The challenges faced by groundnut growers, such as labour shortages during harvesting and staggered labour demand in cotton, contribute to the rise in cotton acreage.

Additionally, soybean and bajra crops have also shown an increase in sowing area compared to previous years. Overall, Gujarat has sown 74.63 lh, achieving around 87 percent of the normal sowing. DeshGujarat