This, after talks of withdrawal of the Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan
However, the price rise has not benefited farmers in terms of realisations
Area under cotton crop expected to be lower by 10% than last year
Due to expectation of weak production during the year
Blame hoarders for the rise; many fabric making mills have opted for blending more and more of synthetic yarn
Whitefly attack damages crop in Punjab and Haryana; lack of rains threatens production in Gujarat and Maharashtra
Congress lambasts the SAD-BJP alliance for its failure in preventing the pest attack
Globally, average yield is set to improve by 5% to 735 kg a hectare, production is set to rise by 5% to 23 mn tonnes
The auction seeks to cater to, and fuel mill demand in that country and has put India's cotton and cotton yarn exports in a cautious mode
Pakistani supplies are available at about 70 cents per lb, therefore landed cost of imported cotton is lower than local prices
Weak cottom prices and crop damage from pests may prompt farmers to move to more remunerative crops
Lower cotton exports could support global prices, now trading near their strongest level since August 2015
Bangladesh and China edge out Indian traders; ministry worried, considers more government help
Due to tight supplies because of drought
Farmers have been moving towards other crops, particularly pulses, to safeguard against the disease in cotton crop
Slight improvement in demand from textile mills supports price uptrend
The government on March 18 had issued a notification capping royalties of GM cotton seed technology companies at 10% for the first five years
Exports may fall to six million bales from its export of 6.7 million bales in the 2014-15 marketing year
The lower crop estimate is mainly due to crop damage in the northern region due to whitefly attack this year
Trade bodies are consistently reducing cotton production estimates for the current season as pest attacks.