Cotton
Why in news: The farmers across the country are asking the government to increase the Minimum Support Price of Cotton.
Cotton
Cotton and the crop specifications:
- The plant is a shrubnative to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, Africa, Egypt and India.
- The greatest diversity of wild cotton species is found in Mexico, followed by Australia and Africa.
- The fiber is most often spuninto yarnor thread and used to make a soft, breathable, and durable textile.
- The use of cotton for fabric is known to date to prehistoric times; fragments of cotton fabric dated to the fifth millennium BC have been found in the Indus Valley civilization, as well as fabric remnants dated back to 4200 BC in Peru.
- The required temperature is between 21 – 30 degree centigrade.
- The optimum rainfall is around 50 to 100 cm.
- The soil suitable is well drained black soil of Deccan plateau.
- Top cotton producing states: Gujarat> Maharashtra> Telangana> Andhra Pradesh> Madhya Pradesh> Karnataka.
Syllabus: Prelims + Mains; GS3- Agriculture; crops in news
