The Government facilitates availability of cotton to
domestic textile and spinning industries through the
release of stocks procured by the Cotton Corpora
tion of India (CCI) under Minimum Support Price (MSP)
operations, which are sold through a transparent online
e-auction system enabling competitive price discovery.
MSP for cotton is declared annually to safeguard farm
ers’ interests when market prices fall below MSP and to
sustain cotton production.
To enhance cotton productivity, quality and farmer
incomes, the Government has undertaken multiple
policy and programmatic interventions.
i.
A five-year Mission for Cotton Productivity has been
announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, with the
Department of Agricultural Research & Education as the
nodal department and the Ministry of Textiles as a
partner. The Mission focuses on strengthening cotton
production through research and extension, including
development of climate-resilient, pest-resistant and
high-yielding varieties, including ELS cotton, using
advanced breeding and biotechnology tools.
ii.
The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, in
convergence with the Ministry of Textiles, has been
implementing a Special Project on Cotton under
National Food Security Mission (NFSM) since 2023-24
through ICAR-CICR, Nagpur, to enhance cotton
productivity and quality. An outlay of Rs. 41.87 crore in
2023-24 covered 9,175 ha in 8 States, and Rs. 5,097.88
lakh in 2024-25 covered about 14,740 ha, achieving yield
gains of 40% under HDPS and over 32% under closer
spacing. Based on encouraging outcomes, the project
has been extended to 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs.
6,032.35 lakh (including committed liabilities).
iii.
To ensure effective MSP operations, the Cotton
Corporation of India (CCI), as the central nodal agency
for cotton procurement, has expanded its network from
508 centres in 2024–25 to 571 centres in 2025–26,
covering 150 districts across 11 cotton-growing States.
During the 2024-25 cotton season, CCI procured 100.16
lakh bales of cotton valued at Rs. 37,437 crore, while
during 2025-26 (as on 05.02.2026), 90.97 lakh bales valued
at Rs. 36,355 crore have been procured.