Centre Likely to Extend India’s Cotton Productivity Mission to 10 Years Amid Pushback on Textile Ministry’s Proposals 🧵

ICAR awaits finalisation; DoE rejects plan to divert mission funds for ginning factory upgrades

---

The Union Government is considering a 10-year tenure for the proposed Cotton Productivity Mission, after the Prime Minister’s Office suggested that the originally planned five-year period would be insufficient to deliver meaningful improvements in yield and sustainability. The mission, announced in the 2025–26 Union Budget, is being piloted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which is currently awaiting final inputs from the Agriculture Department.

Textile Ministry’s Demand for Ginning Funds Rejected

Even as the mission’s rollout faces delays, the Ministry of Textiles has reportedly insisted on using mission funds to modernise ginning factories — a request previously turned down by both the Department of Expenditure (DoE) and Niti Aayog, sources said.

The government had initially planned a ₹5,000-crore outlay, with about ₹4,000 crore proposed from the Agriculture Department. With a longer tenure now under consideration, this expenditure could increase further.

The DoE categorically stated that the Textiles Ministry’s proposed Mini Mission-II and Mini Mission-III components do not align with the Budget announcement and should be removed, reinforcing that mission funds must remain focused on productivity, sustainability, and varietal improvement.

Budget Vision: Linking Farmers to Fibre, Fashion and Exports

In her Budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the mission would:

• Support lakhs of cotton farmers

• Promote extra-long staple (ELS) cotton varieties

• Deploy world-class science and technology

• Strengthen the entire textile value chain through the 5F vision — Farm, Fibre, Factory, Fashion, Foreign

Officials said the mission is expected to rejuvenate India’s traditional textile sector by ensuring a steady supply of high-quality cotton.

DoE Flags Overlaps and Governance Issues

The DoE has additionally recommended:

• Recasting the mission as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (instead of a Central Sector Scheme), given that agriculture is a state subject.

• Removing overlaps with the Mission on High-Yielding Seeds, which was also announced in the 2025–26 Budget.

• Reducing allocations under the National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM) once cotton is shifted out of that programme.

These directives aim to streamline expenditure and avoid duplication across schemes.

Textile Ministry Justifies Its Role — But Experts Disagree

The Textile Ministry has argued for continued participation, citing its earlier involvement with ICAR and the importance of lint quality, which depends heavily on post-harvest operations such as:

• Contamination control

• Handling practices

• Bale preparation

• Ginning and pressing

• Certification and grading

However, experts say this reasoning could set a precedent for every processing industry — from rice mills to oilseed crushers — to demand roles in agricultural productivity missions, potentially complicating scheme governance.

PMO Expected to Break the Deadlock

Sources say ICAR may be asked to submit the proposal directly to the PMO, bypassing prolonged inter-ministerial feedback loops. A top-level meeting involving all concerned departments may be convened to resolve outstanding issues and finalise the mission for rollout.

Cotton Production Trends Remain a Concern

India’s cotton output has seen fluctuations:

• 2024–25: 29.72 million bales (down from 32.52 million bales in 2023–24)

• 2025–26 estimate: 30.5 million bales (Cotton Association of India), slightly lower than last year’s 31.2 million bales

The mission is expected to play a central role in addressing stagnating yields, pests, climate stress, and quality gaps — particularly in ELS cotton, where India still lags global competitors.