The reconstituted Cotton Advisory Board, which met in Mumbai on Wednesday, has estimated that cotton production this season (October 2012 to September 2013) will be 330 lakh bales.
At its previous meeting in October last year, the board estimated production to be 334 lakh bales. Consumption (mill and SSI) is expected to be 253 lakh bales as against the previous estimate of 250 lakh bales. Exports are expected to be 80 lakh bales.
An official of the Union Ministry of Textiles said that production was expected to be less than last year’s in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Meanwhile, cotton consumption is increasing because cotton yarn exports are up, especially to China. Industry representatives, who are part of the consultative committee in the reconstituted CAB, had suggested that production this year could be nearly 15 lakh bales less than the previous estimate. As on January 9 this year, nearly 38 lakh bales were registered for exports, according to Chairman of the Southern India Mills’ Association S. Dinakaran, who participated in the consultative committee meeting.
