The Indian Cotton Federation (ICF) has estimated cotton crop for 2018-19 in the country to be 373 lakh bales of 170 kg a bale.
In a press release, the Federation said production in the north zone was expected to be 61 lakh bales (Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan), the central zone, 200 lakh bales (Gujarat, Maharasthra, and Madhya Pradesh), and the south zone 107 lakh bales. Production from the entire country was expected to be 373 lakh bales and imports might be 18 lakh bales. The provisional estimate for consumption was 320 lakh bales.
Federation president J. Thulasidharan said the Cotton Advisory Board that announced the cotton crop situation had not met for a long time. Without an official crop estimate, there were uncertainties about the cotton crop situation. There were also reports of a lower crop. The uncertainties were leading to hardships for cotton trade and the textile mills.
According to a study by the Federation, the average crop size in the last 12 years in the country is 377 lakh bales. The average of the worst year is 348 lakh bales. For the cotton year 2018-19, it is said that close to five lakh packets of cotton seeds are sold. Except for a few pockets in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, all the cotton growing areas have received sufficient rain. So, the cotton production this year should be higher, it said.

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