Cotton, once a main stay of the kharif economy in north India, is continuing to lose ground across the region’s three main cotton growing states — Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.Together, the three states had around 11.83 lakh hectares under cotton last year. This year, the area has fallen to around 9.09 lakh hectares — a decline of 2.74 lakh hectares, or 23.2 per cent, equivalent to about 6.77 lakh acres.The decline is sharpest in Punjab, where cotton acreage has fallen from around 1.28 lakh hectares last year to an all-time low of about 80,000 hectares this year — a decline of nearly 48,000 hectares, or 37.5 per cent, in a single season.The traditional cotton belt — comprising Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Faridkot, Ferozepur and parts of Sangrur and Barnala — has steadily shifted towards paddy and other crops.Also Read | India’s cotton farms need better soil, not just new GM seedsThe long-term decline is even more striking. Punjab had around 7 lakh hectares under cotton in the late 1980s, while the crop continued to occupy more than 4-5 lakh hectares in several years until 2014-15, reaching around 6.69 lakh hectares at its peak during this period. The decline accelerated after the 2015 whitefly attack, followed by repeated pink bollworm infestations since 2021, bringing acreage down to barely 80,000 hectares now. ScreenshotHaryana has also witnessed a significant fall. While cotton acreage had crossed 6 lakh hectares earlier, the actual area was around 3.80 lakh hectares last year and has fallen further to around 2.95 lakh hectares this year.The contraction has been particularly visible in the traditional cotton-growing districts of Hisar, Charkhi Dadri and Bhiwani, with Haryana losing roughly 85,000 hectares in a year.Story continues below this adRajasthan, which accounts for the largest cotton area among the three states, has seen its acreage decline from approximately 6.55 lakh hectares last year to 5.34 lakh hectares this year — a reduction of 1.21 lakh hectares, or 18.5 per cent. In upper Rajasthan, including Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh, the area has fallen from around 4.14 lakh hectares to 3.44 lakh hectares. In the Bhilwara belt, it has declined from around 2.41 lakh hectares to 1.90 lakh hectares.Also Read | In cotton fields, policy is undoing what science built. That’s the challenge for the Cotton Productivity MissionOfficials in Haryana and Rajasthan attribute a significant part of this year’s decline to rain and monsoon conditions. While Rajasthan still accounts for the largest share of north India’s cotton area, Punjab has recorded the steepest percentage decline among the three states, underlining the continuing erosion of its traditional cotton belt.In Punjab, the decline in cotton reflects a combination of pest attacks, falling yields, rising costs, market uncertainty and the relative security offered by paddy. Bhagwan Bansal, president of the Punjab Ginners’ Association, said repeated whitefly and pink bollworm attacks had eroded farmers’ confidence. “Cotton has become a very risky crop. The whitefly attack devastated it in 2015, while pink bollworm caused further damage in 2021 and subsequent years. Farmers have lost faith because yields have fallen sharply,” he said.According to Bansal, yields that once ranged between 8 and 12 quintals per acre have fallen to around 5-7 quintals in many cases. Even at prices of Rs 7,000-8,000 per quintal, may only be around Rs 35,000-40,000 to 50,000-55,000 per acre, and after meeting the cultivation expenses, the margin is very low,” he said.Story continues below this adA farmer from Mansa, Darbara Singh, who earlier cultivated most of his 10 acres land under cotton, said the assured market for paddy had gradually changed farmers’ choices.“Earlier, cotton was the natural crop of this belt. But when irrigation became easily available and paddy offered assured procurement, farmers gradually started moving towards paddy,” he said.Punjab has added more than one lakh tubewell connections over roughly the past decade, particularly in the Malwa region. With irrigation increasingly available, farmers who traditionally cultivated cotton due to non-availablity of ground water in several areas have found it easier to shift to paddy. Assured MSP procurement, an extensive mandi network, timely payments and free electricity have given paddy an income security that cotton does not offer to the same extent. Bansal said farmers would return to cotton only if the risks were addressed through better seed, effective pest control, higher yields, remunerative prices and a reliable market. “Otherwise, why would a farmer leave paddy, where he knows his produce will be procured?” he asked.Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian has previously said that while Punjab is trying to diversify away from paddy towards cotton and other crops, greater support from the Centre is needed.