According to the Federation of Indian Seed Industry, although the second wave of COVID-19 broke out in India and production, transportation and sales were affected to a certain extent, there have been no reports of a decline in crop seed sales so far. As of late May, seeds for autumn harvest crops have reached most destinations and cotton seed sales have ended in Punjab and Haryana.
In short, the impact of the epidemic that began to rage in mid-March on cotton sowing in India in 2021 can be ignored. The reason is that not only cotton seeds, but also other seed sales are progressing normally; As the domestic epidemic in India reaches an inflection point, India has begun to unblock on a large scale since the early morning of April 7, and some states have relaxed most epidemic prevention restrictions. Therefore, not only the cotton textile and clothing industries have quickly resumed work and production, but also the mobility restrictions on farmers have been lifted, which has helped New cotton planting will speed up in 2021.
Based on feedback from several private cotton companies in Gujarat and Maharashtra, India, the impact of the epidemic on cotton planting in India in 2021 is inevitable, but not too serious. The problem is not as serious as some institutions and media claimed, nor is it a “hiding behind the scenes” judgment of government departments. As for the reasons why cotton seed sales have not been affected, Indian cotton companies have summarized the following three points: First, the supply of genetically modified cotton seeds has been tight or even in short supply in recent years, so most farmers make reservations in advance with agricultural input dealers and cotton seed companies; second, India The government issued an order to increase the price of genetically modified cotton seeds by 5% in the fiscal year starting in March (the actual price increase of agricultural input dealers and others was significantly higher than 5%), because it was worried that agricultural input dealers would be choked by price increases during the sowing period. Most farmers purchase seeds in advance; third, due to some states raising the level of epidemic prevention and control in April and May, the movement of people and vehicles is restricted. Some farmers order seeds from agricultural input dealers and cotton seed companies through phone calls, emails, etc. However, there are large variables in whether the goods are actually picked up and sown.
Why was the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on cotton sowing in India not very prominent from March to May?
First, the cotton-producing areas in India have a long planting period and a large span. The northern states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan can start sowing in early April, while the planting period in the central and southern cotton areas is from May to July. Therefore, from a time point of view, sowing in the central cotton areas has been delayed, but the impact is still on Within the controllable range;
Secondly, the cotton area in northern India not only has relatively good irrigation conditions, but also has neat farmland and a relatively high degree of mechanized planting. The epidemic in March/April has affected the cotton sowing process. The disturbance and damage are not prominent;
Thirdly, India’s blockade is mainly concentrated in large and medium-sized cities and hardest-hit areas, while the vast rural areas are affected by daily production needs, material circulation, weddings and funerals. It is difficult to prevent and control the epidemic due to marriage and other reasons. The blockade in some areas is in vain and the movement of people is relatively frequent. A certain number of migrant workers return to the countryside in March/April. Therefore, although cotton planting is affected by the labor shortage, it restricts the progress of cotton planting. Not outstanding.
It should be noted that although the impact of the epidemic on India’s cotton sowing work from March to May was limited, the prices of agricultural products such as corn and soybeans have risen sharply in 2020/2021, and the supply of genetically modified cotton seeds has Factors such as shortages will lead to a year-on-year decline in India’s cotton planting area in 2021. A cotton enterprise in Gujarat stated that since most crops in the central cotton region rely on natural precipitation, when the southwest monsoon will arrive in June, its intensity and how long it lasts will have a greater impact on cotton planting in 2021. </p
