Cotton Output to Fall Due to Whitefly Attack India’s total cotton output is estimated to be 370.50 lakh bales for the 2015-16 season which began on October one, the Cotton Association of India (CAI) has said.

In a release, it said the figure is same as the October estimate of 370.50 lakh bales (of 170 kg each). The estimate is lower by 12.25 lakh bales than the output of 382.75 lakh bales for the cotton season 2014-15, it said.

The crop damage in Punjab and Haryana due to the whitefly attack this year is a major factor for the lower output estimate. The total crop estimated in the northern zone during the 2015-16 season is 47 lakh bales, down from 53.50 lakh bales last year.

According to the CAI, the estimated total cotton supply for 2015-16 is 463.15 lakh bales, while the domestic consumption has been pegged at 325 lakh bales, leaving a surplus of 138.15 lakh bales.