Cotton Cultivation — Vidarbha Maharashtra

Vidarbha, the eastern region of Maharashtra, is India's cotton heartland — covering 35 lakh hectares with 40 lakh cotton farming families. The region adopted Bt cotton (Bollgard I and II) from 2002–2010, initially increasing yields dramatically but creating dependency on hybrid seeds, rising input costs, and debt cycles that contributed to a deep agrarian crisis and farmer suicide epidemic. Vidarbha cotton yields average 300–400 kg/hectare versus global average of 800 kg — partly due to black cotton (vertisol) soil with poor drainage, erratic rainfall, and low irrigation coverage (only 8% irrigated). The CACP recommends MSP ₹6,620/quintal (2024) for kapas (seed cotton). Ginning mills separate lint from seeds — Maharashtra has 1,000+ ginning mills. Cotton lint is classified by staple length: short (below 20mm), medium (20–24.5mm), and long staple (above 24.5mm). Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation targets expansion to reduce rainfall dependency. NABARD's Farm Sector Promotion Fund supports cotton diversification.