India Targets Cotton Revival with ₹5,659 Crore Mission as Output Falls Sharply
Brief By Newsbrief / 5:14 PM on 28 Jul 2026
India's cotton production has witnessed a significant decline over the past five years, falling from 35.248 million bales in 2020–21 to 29.091 million bales in 2025–26, according to information shared by the Central Government in Parliament. The decline has largely been attributed to farmers shifting to more profitable crops, reducing the area under cotton cultivation.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita said cotton productivity has remained broadly stable at 428–451 kilograms per hectare, indicating that the fall in production is primarily due to shrinking cultivation acreage rather than lower yields.
To boost domestic cotton output, the government has approved the ₹5,659.22 crore Cotton Productivity Mission (Cotton Revolution) for the period 2026–27 to 2030–31. The mission aims to increase cotton production to 49.8 million bales by 2031, improve fibre quality, and strengthen the country's textile value chain. Covering 24 lakh hectares across 140 districts in 14 states, the initiative is expected to benefit nearly 3.2 million farmers.
The government has also taken measures to ensure adequate raw material for the textile industry. Import duty on raw cotton has been waived from June 1 to October 31, 2026, while the exemption on Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton imports continues to support the availability of premium-quality fibre.
In addition, a special project under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) is promoting High-Density Planting System (HDPS) and Closer Spacing Planting System in major cotton-growing states. Field trials have shown yield improvements of around 40% under HDPS and more than 32% under closer spacing. The government has also introduced a mobile application for Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement, enabling farmers to register, book procurement slots, receive Aadhaar-linked payments, and track updates digitally. More than 4.1 million farmers have already registered on the platform.