Sowing of Cotton in Punjab is expected to fall by nearly 1 lakh hectares this season as farmers are likely to prefer paddy (rice) over cotton as they suffered extensive loss after whitefly pest damaged the crop last year. However, in the neighbouring Haryana and Rajasthan, area under cotton could increase.
In 2015-16, cotton was sown in 4.35 lakh hectares in Punjab while in Haryana its acreage was 5.86 lakh hectares. Rajasthan had an area of 5.26 lakh hectares under cotton. Cotton sowing will begin in mid-April in Punjab and Haryana.