Haryana Cotton Crisis Deepens: Yields Drop 30%, Farmers Lose Over Rs 15,000 per Acre, Says HAU Report

Cotton cultivation in Haryana is rapidly turning unviable, with farmers suffering mounting losses due to falling productivity and declining market prices. A recent report by Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) highlights that farmers are incurring average losses of more than Rs 15,000 per acre.

The report, based on the 2025 Kharif season and presented at the Agriculture Officers’ Workshop held on February 13-14, 2026, reveals a sharp 30% drop in cotton productivity. Average yield has fallen to just 4 quintals per acre, compared to 5.70 quintals in the previous year.

Price realization has also weakened significantly. Farmers received an average of Rs 6,020 per quintal this season, a decline of about 15% from last year’s Rs 7,071. This is well below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) fixed by the Centre at Rs 7,710 for medium-staple cotton and Rs 8,110 for long-staple cotton.

According to the study, the average cost of cotton cultivation stands at Rs 40,024 per acre. In contrast, farmers earned only Rs 24,081 from cotton sales and an additional Rs 801 from by-products, resulting in a net loss of Rs 15,142 per acre. The cost calculations include expenses on land preparation, seeds, irrigation, fertilizers, and harvesting.

Dr. Vinay Mahala, Associate Scientist in the Department of Agricultural Economics at HAU and part of the study team, noted that cotton farmers in Haryana have been facing continuous losses since 2017. He attributed the crisis largely to recurring pest and disease attacks, warning that without the introduction of improved varieties, cotton cultivation could decline sharply in the next three to five years.

Cotton farming in Haryana is concentrated in districts such as Hisar, Bhiwani, Fatehabad, Mahendragarh, Rewari, Charkhi Dadri, and Sirsa. The report highlights that farmers in Fatehabad incurred the highest cultivation cost at Rs 48,721 per acre. Their losses were also Rs 17,315 per acre. Hisar recorded the highest average loss at Rs 17,515 per acre. Among other districts, Mahendragarh farmers suffered average losses of Rs 14,144, Charkhi Dadri Rs 15,276, Rewari Rs 9,548, Bhiwani Rs 14,852, and Sirsa Rs 11,250 per acre.

Ground reports from farmers further underline the severity of the crisis. Pawan Kumar, a farmer from Siswala in Hisar, while speaking to Rural Voice, said he has been incurring losses since 2018, with low yields and poor market prices eroding his returns. Another farmer, Harpal Singh, reported severe crop damage due to pink bollworm infestation and untimely rains, adding that he could not even recover his cultivation costs.