Haryana has witnessed a dramatic decline in cotton cultivation, with acreage dropping to a record low of 2.82 lakh hectares during the current kharif season, the lowest in the past seven years. The decline reflects a growing shift by farmers towards paddy and other crops such as bajra after years of financial losses caused by pest attacks, erratic weather and waterlogging.
The districts of Sirsa, Hisar and Fatehabad, traditionally known as Haryana’s cotton belt and accounting for nearly 80% of the state’s cotton area, have also seen a significant shift away from the crop.
According to data from the Haryana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, cotton acreage has declined by more than 50% in the past three years and nearly 70% over the past seven years. The latest season has recorded a sharp fall of about 28% compared to the previous year, when cotton was cultivated on nearly 3.9 lakh hectares.
The trend has alarmed agricultural scientists and economists, who regard cotton not only as an important cash crop but also as an ecologically beneficial alternative to water-intensive paddy cultivation.
Farmers, however, say they have little choice. Repeated crop failures due to pest infestations, excessive rainfall and waterlogging have made cotton cultivation increasingly unviable.
Agriculture Department officials admitted that efforts to revive cotton cultivation have yielded little success.
“The cotton was in about eight lakh hectares in 2019-20 which came down to 3.9 lakh hectares last year and further declined to 2.82 lakh hectares. Though the department also set up a dedicated wing to promote cotton cultivation, focusing on major cotton-growing districts such as Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Rewari and Mahendragarh. The farmers were even offered incentives of Rs 2,000 per acre for micronutrient support and Rs 4,000 per acre for desi cotton cultivation, but these schemes failed to reverse the declining trend,” said an official.
Experts attribute the decline largely to recurring crop losses. According to Dr Atma Ram Godara, Joint Director (Cotton), Agriculture Department, prolonged damage caused by heavy rainfall during August and September, flood-like situations witnessed in several districts in 2025, and severe pest attacks, particularly pink bollworm infestations, have significantly reduced yields and discouraged farmers from growing cotton.
A study conducted by Dr Vinay Mahla, an agricultural scientist at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (HAU), highlighted the economic distress facing cotton growers. The report estimated the average cost of cotton cultivation at Rs 40,024 per acre, while returns from produce sales stood at only Rs 24,081 per acre. Income from byproducts added another Rs 801 per acre, leaving farmers with an average loss of Rs 15,142 per acre.
According to Dr Mahla, cotton farmers in Haryana have been facing continuous losses since 2017 due to recurring pest attacks and diseases.
