CAB cotton crop estimate revised

CHENNAI, FEB 25: The Cotton Advisory Board CAB has revised downwards the cotton production for the year 1998-99 to 161.5 lakh bales as against its earlier estimate of 175 lakh bales. At its meeting on February 18, the board took cognisance of the latest arrival trends, impact of excessive rains on the crop in Punjab, Haryana, Rajastan and Andhra Pradesh to effect the revision.

According to the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy CMIE, the acreage under cotton cultivation is an all time high this year at 92.5 lakh hectares compared to 88.10 lakh hectares in the previous year. It is this which made CAB estimate a much higher production of 175 lakh bales compared to the output of 158 lakh bales last year. But excessive rains in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh affected the crop to the extent of about 14 lakh bales.