CCI MSP cotton procurement for 2025-26 rises about 4% to 104.01 lakh bales
Cotton Corporation of India procurement at minimum support price for 2025-26 reached 104.01 lakh bales, driven by Telangana, Maharashtra and Gujarat; season ends March 13.
The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has procured 104.01 lakh bales (each bale 170 kg) under the minimum support price (MSP) scheme for the 2025-26 marketing season, about 4% higher than the 100.16 lakh bales procured in 2024-25.
CCI Chairman cum Managing Director Lalit Kumar Gupta said procurement has touched 104.01 lakh bales to date and that the MSP procurement season is nearing its end, with March 13 set as the final date for purchases this season.
Statewise procurement shows Telangana at the top with 31.70 lakh bales, followed by Maharashtra with 27.23 lakh bales and Gujarat with 19.96 lakh bales. Other state tallies include Karnataka 7.01 lakh bales; Madhya Pradesh over 5.55 lakh bales; Andhra Pradesh 3.90 lakh bales; Rajasthan 3.46 lakh bales; Odisha 2.70 lakh bales; Haryana 2.04 lakh bales; and Punjab 0.47 lakh bales.
CCI has sold about 17.50 lakh bales from the 2025-26 crop so far. Overall procurement in 2025-26 is likely to be the second-highest in volumes since 2019-20, when more than 1.05 crore bales were procured; procurement in 2024-25 stood at 1 crore bales.
The Agriculture Ministry’s second advance estimates place cotton production for 2025-26 at 290.91 lakh bales of 170 kg each, down from 297.24 lakh bales the previous year. The ministry attributed the decline to reduced acreage and excess rains.
The Cotton Association of India (CAI) has revised its 2025-26 crop estimate upward by about 2.5% to 317 lakh bales, citing higher production in Maharashtra and Telangana. CAI projects a year-end surplus of 122.59 lakh bales for 2025-26, up 56% year-on-year, and notes imports of 50 lakh bales during the year.