Allocation for cotton in Budget ‘insufficient’, say farmers

Cotton farmers in Maharashtra demand increased budget allocations and technological advancements to address falling productivity in the sector.

Cotton farmers in Maharashtra are seeking major changes in terms of technology, and increased allocations in the Union budget to fix the problem of falling productivity.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated ₹500 crore for the National Cotton Technology Mission in the Union Budget for 2025-26 presented on February 1.

Farmers, experts, and activists, however, say that this allocation alone is not sufficient to solve the productivity crisis.

Cotton yields have been on a declining trend in the past decade. According to data from the United States Foreign Agricultural Service, cotton yield was 461 kg per hectare in 2024-25 declining 8% from 502 kg in 2014-15. According to GH Wairale, senior cotton technologist based in Maharashtra, the current demand for cotton from the textile sector is around 350 lakh bales, but the current production is just around 300 lakh bales.

Farmers and experts blame the lack of newer seeds and innovative methods of farming the crop for the lower productivity. “We have been farming using the same method since independence,” says Dilip Thakare, a cotton farmer based in Akola, Maharashtra.

Cotton farmers in India have been using the Bollgard-2 variety of cotton for about two decades. “The variety provided good yields in the first few years but has begun to decline in recent years. The boll worms still attack the cotton plant, creating an average damage of about 30%-40% of the crop.” Mr. Thakare said. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee in India has not approved the use of the Bollgard-3 variety yet.

The second problem is farming methods.