Buldhana cotton crop ends in two or three pickings, farmers struggle to recover costs

The cotton crop in Buldhana district this year has ended after only two to three pickings, upsetting farmers' finances. Cotton is not fetching the market price farmers had hoped for, and yields have also fallen sharply. Farmers are finding it hard even to recover what they spent on seed, fertiliser, pesticides, spraying and labour. They have been hit by low production and falling prices at the same time.

Cotton was sown on a large scale this year in Motala, Khamgaon, Malkapur and Shegaon talukas of the district. Satisfactory rain fell at the start, during the Mrig Nakshatra period, so farmers planted cotton. The soil held plenty of moisture and germination was good.

However, there was no rain for about fifteen days after sowing and the crop began to wilt. Some relief came when the rain returned, but the irregular rain that followed affected the growth of the crop. In some areas the rain stayed away for a long time, while in others continuous rain damaged the plants. Weeds grew thick in the fields. As a result, diseases and pest attacks on the crop increased and leaves fell. To save the crop, farmers sprayed expensive pesticides and weedicides.

Even after the higher spending, the crop did not grow as expected. The cotton plants did not set enough bolls, and production fell steeply. This year there was also little difference in the yield of the first, second and third pickings. Each picking brought in little cotton, so production per acre dropped considerably. On many farms the cotton season ended after just two to three pickings. In some places farmers say production is only up to 2 quintals per acre.

Cotton did not get the expected price last year either. This year too the market price has not risen satisfactorily, adding to farmers' difficulties. The cost of picking labour, transport and other farm work is rising, while the produce in hand is very small. Recovering the money invested in farming has therefore become difficult.

Farmers now face the question of how they will arrange seed, fertiliser and other farming expenses for the next season, and how they will repay the loans they have taken. If cotton does not get a fair price, this season's loss could also affect next year's farming plans. Farmers are already facing natural calamities, and low production has dealt them a heavy financial blow.

Dinesh Pawar, a farmer from Motala, said the irregular rain, along with the possible effect of El Nino, had affected the growth of cotton in dryland farming areas, and the crop ended after only one to two pickings. He said production had fallen and the market was not offering a fair price either, so recovering the cost of farming had become difficult. He said that if cotton did not get the right price, the financial crisis of farmers would deepen.