Pest attack dampens India's cotton export outlook



India is likely to export less cotton than previously estimated as pink bollworms are set to eat into output which was earlier expected to hit a record.

This year exportable surplus will be around 6 million bales, down from earlier estimate of 7.5 million bales of 150 kg each. Production estimates are revised down due to the pest attack.

A 19% jump in the area planted for cotton prompted industry officials to estimate record production of 40 million bales in the 2017/2018 season starting on Oct. 1.

But farmers found that as harvesting started fields were infested with pink boilworms which consume the cotton fibre and seeds inside the boll, or fruit, of the plant. The problem was especially widespread in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, the country's biggest cotton producer.

The bollworm infestation has occurred even as Indian farmers have adopted genetically-modified seeds known as BT Cotton that are resistant to the pest. The government approved the seed in 2006.




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