Gandhinagar, July 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Gujarat government on Friday opened applications for farmers to join the Centre's newly launched 'Mission for Cotton Productivity', with eligible cultivators set to receive input assistance of up to Rs 14,000 per hectare for adopting modern cotton cultivation practices aimed at increasing production and reducing the country's dependence on imports.
The Central government has launched the Mission for Cotton Productivity, also referred to as the Cotton Revolution Mission, for the period from 2026-27 to 2030-31.
The five-year programme seeks to increase cotton production, reduce imports and strengthen farmers' incomes by encouraging the adoption of improved cultivation methods.
Announcing the scheme, State Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani said farmers growing cotton would receive input assistance to adopt modern farming practices over the next five years.
"Gujarat continues to be one of the country's leading cotton-producing states. Under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the state had been allocated a budget of Rs 134.80 crore under the Mission for Cotton Productivity during the current year to further expand cotton cultivation using modern agricultural practices," he said.
The state has set a target of covering more than one lakh hectares across 21 cotton-growing districts under the mission. The assistance will be provided under two cultivation models.
Farmers who have planted cotton at a spacing of 90 cm by 30 cm using the "Closer Spacing Technology" method will be eligible for input assistance of Rs 14,000 per hectare.
Those who have adopted the "Integrated Crop Management" method with a spacing of 90 cm by 60 cm will receive Rs 7,500 per hectare. The scheme limits assistance to a maximum of two hectares per farmer in a year.
To qualify for the financial support, farmers must have sown government-approved or certified cotton varieties, or approved Bt cotton seeds, and completed the mandatory Farmer Registry.
The state government will also organise training programmes during the year to help farmers adopt the new cultivation methods and improve productivity.
Applications for the scheme opened on the i-Khedut portal on Friday.
Farmers who have already planted cotton at either 90 x 30 cm or 90 x 60 cm spacing during the current season, as well as those yet to sow their crop and intending to adopt either of the prescribed planting methods, have been invited to apply online.
Vaghani urged eligible farmers to submit their applications through the i-Khedut portal to avail themselves of the assistance available under the mission.
Source: IANS
About Gopi
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz