Cotton planting in India, the world's largest producer of the fibre, could increase by 15% to an all-time high in 2022, as farmers turn away from other crops due to high pricing, according to an industry body.

Higher output could help temper the global and local cotton price rises that are harming Asian garment manufacturers. 
Cotton plantings in India could increase by as much as 15% from last year, according to Atul Ganatra, president of the Cotton Association of India, because the crop offers considerably better returns than alternatives. 

Because torrential rains during harvest dropped the yield in 2021 to the lowest level in a decade, local prices have more than doubled in the last year. Cotton crop area in India would increase by 15% to about 13.8 million hectares in 2022, up from 12 million hectares last year.

The western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, which together account for about half of the country's production, are expected to see the highest increases in cotton area, according to the organisation. The majority of Indian farmers begin planting cotton in June, when the monsoon rains begin, however some with irrigated fields begin as early as May.

SBI Research projects Indian economy to grow at 7.5-pc in 2022-23

ONGC sees crude oil production rising 11-pc, gas output growing 25-pc by FY25

India's economic growth slows to 4.1pc in March quarter