National News

118 lakh hectares of cotton sown across India

08 September 2021, New Delhi: As per the recent update released by Ministry of Agriculture, New Delhi, cotton crop has covered 118 lakh hectare across India. Bifurcating the coverage into BT and Non BT, about 110 lakh hectares has been covered with BT cotton and about 7.6 Lakh hectares with non BT cotton.

Maharashtra is the leading state in terms of acreage having sown 39.36 lakh hectare of cotton of which 37.39 is BT cotton, rest is non BT cotton. Maharashtra is followed by Gujarat having covered 22.51 lakh hectares of which 20.25 is BT and rest is non BT cotton. Telangana is next in the list of acreage having covered 20.51 lakh hectare of cotton of which 20.20 is BT cotton.

StateNormal Area (DES)*Bt Acreage 2021-22Non Bt Acreage 2021-22Acreage Total 2021-22
Andhra Pradesh6.124.7620.0484.81
Telangana18.0920.3090.20520.514
Gujarat26.0920.2592.25122.51
Haryana6.566.8110.0696.88
Karnataka6.476.1540.1266.28
Madhya Pradesh6.065.8430.3086.151
Maharashtra42.1337.3971.96839.365
Odisha1.4701.9481.948
Punjab2.863.0030.033.033
Rajasthan5.785.8640.3096.173
Tamil Nadu1.540.0860.010.096
Others0.4200.3710.371
All India123.591110.4887.643118.131
Cotton Sowing in India 2021-22 (Update up-till 8th September 2021)


Pink bollworm is one of the biggest threat for the cotton crop in India. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh state in the past have been most affected state due to its infestation. A few districts in the northern part of india have reported presence of Pink Bollworm in the current season. Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar, Mahendragarh and Jind in Haryana and Bhatinda of Punjab. The news of infestation of Pink Bollworm around the districts has left the farmers worried as the pest can’t be seen until the damage has been done. 

Also Read: Data on farmers is the wealth of the digital agriculture mission and will give direct benefits to farmers: Narendra Singh Tomar

South Asia Biotechnology Centre (SABC), Jodhpur in collaboration with Agrovision Foundation, Nagpur has laid out the country’s largest field experiment of an innovative mating disruption or mating confusion technology spread over 300 acres in 4 clusters to ward off a devasting pest pink bollworm (PBW) in cotton in Waroda and Adasa villages in Kalmeshwar Taluka in Nagpur District of Maharashtra.

PBKnot is an innovative mating disruption technology, approved recently by CIBRC of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfares of the Govt of India is an ideal approach for effective PBW management and a best fit in IPM of bollworm management in cotton. Moreover, PBKnot technology is easy in application, safe to beneficial insects and ecofriendly.