Indian Industry Plus A Pratisrutiplus Suppliment
The Government facilitates availability of cotton to domestic textile and spinning industries through the release of stocks procured by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) under Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations, which are sold through a transparent online e-auction system enabling competitive price discovery. MSP for cotton is declared annually to safeguard farmers’ interests when market prices fall below MSP and to sustain cotton production.
To enhance cotton productivity, quality and farmer incomes, the Government has undertaken multiple policy and programmatic interventions viz:-
- A five-year Mission for Cotton Productivity has been announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, with the Department of Agricultural Research & Education as the nodal department and the Ministry of Textiles as a partner. The Mission focuses on strengthening cotton production through research and extension, including development of climate-resilient, pest-resistant and high-yielding varieties, including ELS cotton, using advanced breeding and biotechnology tools.
- The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, in convergence with the Ministry of Textiles, has been implementing a Special Project on Cotton under National Food Security Mission (NFSM) since 2023-24 through ICAR-CICR, Nagpur, to enhance cotton productivity and quality. An outlay of ₹41.87 crore in 2023-24 covered 9,175 ha in 8 States, and ₹5,097.88 lakh in 2024-25 covered about 14,740 ha, achieving yield gains of 40% under HDPS and over 32% under closer spacing. Based on encouraging outcomes, the project has been extended to 2025-26 with an outlay of ₹6,032.35 lakh (including committed liabilities).
- To ensure effective MSP operations, the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), as the central nodal agency for cotton procurement, has expanded its network from 508 centres in 2024–25 to 571 centres in 2025–26, covering 150 districts across 11 cotton-growing States. During the 2024-25 cotton season, CCI procured 100.16 lakh bales of cotton valued at Rs. 37,437 crore, while during 2025-26 (as on 05.02.2026), 90.97 lakh bales valued at Rs. 36,355 crore have been procured.
Statement showing production, consumption, and stock position of cotton in the country during the last three years and current year:
| Particulars | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 (P)* | 2025-26 (P)* | ||||
| (In lakh bales of 170 kg. Each) | (In Thousand Tons) | (In lakh bales of 170 kg. Each) | (In Thousand Tons) | (In lakh bales of 170 kg. Each) | (In Thousand Tons) | (In lakh bales of 170 kg. Each) | (In Thousand Tons) | |
| SUPPLY | ||||||||
| Opening Stock | 39.48 | 671.16 | 61.16 | 1,039.72 | 47.47 | 806.99 | 45.50 | 773.50 |
| Production | 336.60 | 5,722.20 | 325.22 | 5,528.74 | 297.24 | 5,053.08 | 292.15 | 4,966.55 |
| Import | 14.60 | 248.20 | 15.20 | 258.40 | 41.40 | 703.80 | 40.00 | 680.00 |
| TOTAL SUPPLY | 390.68 | 6,641.56 | 401.58 | 6,826.86 | 386.11 | 6,563.87 | 377.65 | 6,420.05 |
| DEMAND | ||||||||
| Non-MSME Consumption | 197.80 | 3,362.60 | 216.82 | 3,685.94 | 213.04 | 3,621.68 | 213.00 | 3,621.00 |
| MSME Consumption | 99.83 | 1,697.11 | 92.93 | 1,579.81 | 93.50 | 1,589.50 | 93.00 | 1,581.00 |
| Non Textile Consumption | 16.00 | 272.00 | 16.00 | 272.00 | 16.00 | 272.00 | 16.00 | 272.00 |
| Export | 15.89 | 270.13 | 28.36 | 482.12 | 18.07 | 307.19 | 15.00 | 255.00 |
| TOTAL DEMAND | 329.52 | 5,601.84 | 354.11 | 6,019.87 | 340.61 | 5,790.37 | 337.00 | 5,729.00 |
| Closing Stock. | 61.16 | 1,039.72 | 47.47 | 806.99 | 45.50 | 773.50 | 40.65 | 691.05 |
Source: Meeting of Committee on COCPC held on 08.12.2025
P-Provisional
This information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TEXTILES SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
