Why is Cotton Production reducing and their recommended solution

Cotton (Gossypium spp) is one of the most important fibre crops of the world and is called the king of fibres and is usually referred as white gold. It is one of the important commercial crops, plays a pivotal role in human civilization, economic, political and social affairs of world and China, Brazil, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Mexico and Sudan accounts for nearly 85% of the total production. Other remaining cotton growing countries are Greece, Nigeria, Australia, Argentina, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan etc.In Nepal; it is mostly cultivated in western districts such as Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF COTTON PRODUCTION IN NEPAL:

• Cotton production generates important economic development in producing countries.
• Labor requirements are high on a agricultural sector, but also at service Industry.
• In Nepal, textile industries also used to import raw material from neighbor countries, but due to extensive cultivation of cotton in different districts (Banke, Bardia, Dang) they get a satisfactory amount of lint from Cotton Development Board.
• The Government of Nepal owed textile industry is Hetauda Textile Industry, which generated lots of employment opportunities and provides jobs to both skied and non-skilled personnel.
• The farmers are also directly benefited with the establishment of industry as their product has no market problem.
• Butwal Dhago Industry and Nepali Clothing industries are also doing the same job.
• It is a cash crop.
• Lint fiber (seed surface fiber) is used in textile industry.
• Seed oil is used for the manufacture of vanaspathi ghee.
• Cotton flour is used for making bread and biscuit.
• Cotton seed cake is used as organic manure.
• Cotton is used in stuffing pillows, cushions, mattresses etc.
• Cotton is used in making rubber tyres, carpet, blankets and cordages.
• Fatty acid obtained from the oil is used in the manufacture of insecticide, fungicides and plastics.

1. Cotton-water relations:
• Water need in cotton varies with cultivar, length of growing season, temperature, sunshine hours, the amount and distribution of rainfall and the characteristics of soil.
• Water stress is the single greatest environmental limitation to achieving higher percentages of the inherent yield potential.

Water logging:

• This problem is accentuated by rainfall after irrigation, cloudy conditions and inadequate land preparation.
• On heavy clay soils adequate field drainage and slope and a high plant bed height are essential to reducing the effects of water logging.
• It reduces the yield and the general symptom is yellowing of the crop and stunted growth.

Water impacts:

• It can take more than 20,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of cotton; equivalent to a single t-shirt and pair of jeans.
• 73% of global cotton harvest comes from irrigated land (as documented in the WWF report. The Impact of cotton on Freshwater Resources and Ecosystem.
2. Unfavorable climatic conditions:
• Successful cotton production requires a frost free growing season of at least 180-200 days, ample light, relatively high temperatures and favorable moisture regime.
3. Abnormal soil conditions:
• High soil pH, calcareousness of soils, low soil organic matter and use of fertilizer poor in micronutrients lead to soil encrustation.
4. Varietal constraints:
• The local varieties are highly susceptible to diseases and insect pests.
• The popular varieties of upland cottons(G.hirsutum) are Cocker 100, Acala-4-42, Acala-44, Deltapine, Tashkent-6 and C4727. In Nepal we cultivate Tamcot S.P.-37 and F-1054.
5. Seed constraint:
• A delay in sowing results in later start of flowering and fruiting and a reduction in number of flower and bud produced.
• In Nepal, cotton is a rainfed crop and optimum time of its sowing ranges from the last week of .June to first week of July.
• Where irrigation facilities are available, sowing can be done in April-May.

Low seed rate:

• The seed rate of cotton varies from 15-80kg per ha.
• There is no yield difference when the plant a density varies from 50,000 to 100,000 plants per ha.
• Yield sharply declines at the population below 30,000 per ha.

Defective method of sowing:

• Line sowing with seed drill is recommended in order to ensure uniform germination, better stand and easy inter-cultivation.
• Generally, sowing is done in flat beds but ridges and furrow method is practiced in many places to facilitate easy application of irrigation water.
6. Unavailability of quality seed materials:
• Low viability seeds is susceptible to number of pests and diseases which leads to decreased production.
• Non availability of certified seeds and prohibitive prices of hybrids is also another problem for the farmers.
• Cotton has a low P requirement but has a definite role in improving root development, water use efficiency, seed production, protein and oil content of seed. Deficiency of phosphorus causes dark green leaves, delayed flowering and fruiting and shedding of boll.
• In Nepal, recommended dose is 6t FYM and 60:40:20 kg NPK per ha.
7. Plant protection constraints:
• Poor condition of farmers-non adoption of protection measures
• Non availability of chemicals and equipments
• Lack of knowledge on control measures.
8. Market and trade conditions
• Poor market facilities
• Difficult procedure for exporting of cotton and its products in foreign market.
9. Inadequate research infrastructures:
• To improve cotton’s productivity, need to be very area specific, the country containing at least eight different agro-ecological zones.
• The greatest potential for increased production exists in the Terai, where the flat land is most suitable for modern farming methods.
10. Competition with cereals and other crops:
• generally grow cereal and other crops.
• poor marketing facilities.
• Less importance to cotton crops.
11. Ecological disasters and crop failure:
• Massive pesticide spraying causes massive pest outbreaks.
• The boll weevil has been a major cotton pest .
• pesticides also introduced serious health and environmental problems.
12. High incidence of diseases and pest:
• Cotton is a pest loving plant and due to this habit it has become a problematic crop for the farmers
• Major insects: Cotton aphids Spotted bollworm, Mealy bug, Red cotton bug, Thrips, Leaf Hopper, Ash weevils, Tobacco cutworm, Leaf roller, Stem borer, Shoot weevil, Cotton stem weevil, Pink bollworm, Fruit borer
• Diseases: Cotton seedling diseases, Root-knot nematodes, Leaf spots, Bacterial blight, Wilts, Bronze wilts, Boll rots, black root rot, fusarium wilt,verticillium wilt
• Leaf curl virus disease in the popular G.hirsutum cultivars.
13. High input cost:
• Cost associated with spraying, weeding and harvesting.
• Pesticide costs are high and can contribute up to 50% of the input costs.
• Inadequate use of mechanization, contributes significantly to high production cost.
14. Decrease in cotton growing area:
• Less importance given to the cotton crop.
• Incidence of cotton boll worm.
• Fields left barren but cultivation is not done.
15. Harvesting:
• Hand picking is costly and labour intensive.
• The appropriate time of harvesting is when most of the leaves are dried or in shedding stage or when bolls begin to fully burst and when cotton begins to hang out.
• Improper harvesting techniques and lack of modern harvesters.
16. Migration:
• Migration-an age long phenomenon in which both young and old human population move to new area to grab better life
• Devastating effect on labour force in cotton production due to migration of young and vibrant people
• Dependency of resource poor farmers entirely on family labour and it is their young and vibrant migrant groups that constitute such labour.
17. Miscellaneous constraints:
• Difficulty in harvesting
• Lack of machinery
• Losses during storage
• Losses during processing

Recommendation to solve problems of cotton cultivation and production:

• Germplasm exchange for varietal improvement
• Farmers friendly policy should be made by government for more involvement of farmers in cultivation of cotton.
• Loan should be given to farmers in low interest rate.
• Organic cotton production.
• Use of seeds of cotton to produce animal feed and oil extraction.
• Enhance and strengthen the helpless, untouchable, poor, marginal and neglected women in the country by giving different vocational training.
• Proper trainings should be given to farmers about cultivation practices of cotton and government should generate awareness about importance of cotton for economic development and create interest among farmers for cultivating cotton.
• Pesticides and fertilizers should be timely and in low cost should be made available.
• Good quality of seeds and its timely availability should be managed by government.
• Proper market facility should be made to farmer. There should be proper access of transportation to transport the product. Proper storage facility of over produced goods should be made like in cold storage for future use or when demanded in market.
• Farmers friendly government policy should be made. Farmers should be provided loan with low interest rate to run their farming. Crop insurance policy should be effectively implemented.

Writer: Shatis Chaudhary (Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Gauradaha Agriculture Campus, Jhapa )