Lok Sabha Question No. 160 (STARRED), answered on 2026-02-10
Subject: Cotton Imports
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Shri G Kumar Naik

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *160 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.02.2026

## COTTON IMPORTS

## *160. SHRI G KUMAR NAIK:

Will the Minister of TEXTILES वस्त्र मंत्री be pleased to state :

- (a) the details of cotton imported by the country and details of top ten importing countries during each of the last five years;
- (b) whether the Government has exempted import duties on cotton for the current financial year and, if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  any  assessment  or  survey  has  been  conducted  by  the  Government  regarding  the  impact  of cotton import duty exemption on domestic cotton farmers and if so, the findings thereof, especially for the State of Karnataka; and
- (d)  the  measures  being  proposed  by  the  Government  to  protect  the  interest  of  cotton  farmers  while simultaneously addressing the requirements of the textile industry; and the details of the impact of cotton duty exemption on Government revenue?

उत्तर

ANSWER

श्री

वस्त्र

मंत्री

(

गिरििाज

ग िंह

)

MINISTER OF TEXTILES (SHRI GIRIRAJ SINGH)

(a) to (d):A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  THE  LOK  SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION NO.*160  FOR  10.02.2026  REGARDING  COTTON  IMPORTS  ASKED  BY  SHRI  G  KUMAR NAIK, Hon'ble MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT.

(a): Statement  showing  details  of  cotton  import  in  India,  country-wise  during  the  last  5  years,  is enclosed at Annexure-I.

(b): In the current financial year 2025-26, the 11% import duty on cotton (5% BCD, 5% AIDC, 1% SWC)  was  exempted  vide  Department  of  Revenue  notification  dated  18.08.2025,  effective  from 19.08.2025 to 30.09.2025. Subsequently, vide Department of Revenue Notification dated 28.08.2025, the exemption of import duty on cotton was further extended up to 31.12.2025.   Thereafter, the standard 11 % import duty on cotton was reinstated from 1 January 2026.

(c) & (d): The Government of India protects cotton farmers by announcing Minimum Support Prices (MSP) annually, based on Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP) recommendations, State and Central inputs, and production costs, ensuring that farmers receive a minimum of 1.5 times the cost of production (A2+FL) for their produce.  For the 2025-26 cotton season, MSP for Fair Average Quality cotton has been fixed at ₹7,710 per quintal for Medium Staple and ₹8,110 per quintal for Long Staple, an increase of ₹589 per quintal over the previous year. The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), as the central nodal  agency,  undertakes  procurement  under  MSP  whenever  market  prices  fall  below  MSP.   For  the 2025-26 cotton season, CCI opened 571 procurement centers across 149 districts in 11 cotton-growing states, and has procured over 90.54 lakh bales so far.

In  Karnataka, MSP operations have shown significant growth from the 2024-25 to the 2025-26 cotton season. In 2024-25, CCI procured 25.61 lakh quintals of seed cotton (5.22 lakh bales), valued at ₹1,892 crore, across 26 centres. In 2025-26, so far, procurement increased to 34.10 lakh quintals (6.82 lakh bales), valued at ₹2,725 crore, across 37 centres, indicating a notable increase in both procurement and farmer outreach.

Procured  cotton  is  sold  through  an  independent  online  e-auction  portal,  providing  transparency and  competitive  access  for  the  textile  industry.  This  system  ensures  a  balanced  approach,  protecting farmers' incomes while meeting the raw material requirements of domestic textile units.

Duty  exemptions  on  cotton  imports  ensure  sufficient  availability  of  quality  raw  material, supporting  value  addition,  boosting  employment,  and  enhancing  exports,  thereby  generating  higher indirect revenue.

Source: DGCIS, Kolkata

****

## Annexure-I

## Statement showing details of cotton import and from importing countries in India during the last 5 years:

(Qty. in bales, value in Crores)

CY- 1

st

October to 30

th

September

| Sr. No.   | Country         | 2020-21   | 2020-21   | 2021-22   | 2021-22   | 2022-23   | 2022-23   | 2023-24   | 2023-24   | 2024-25   | 2024-25   |
|-----------|-----------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
|           |                 | Quantity  | Value     | Quantity  | Value     | Quantity  | Value     | Quantity  | Value     | Quantity  | Value     |
| 1         | USA             | 4,30,718  | 1,501     | 7,73,164  | 4,069     | 4,57,027  | 2,174     | 2,68,728  | 1,361     | 8,56,298  | 2,908     |
| 2         | Brazil          | 52,228    | 109       | 1,10,065  | 506       | 75,722    | 227       | 67,805    | 152       | 8,54,622  | 2,131     |
| 3         | Australia       | 1,14,847  | 300       | 3,94,518  | 1,746     | 4,45,672  | 1,709     | 3,58,726  | 1,131     | 8,49,268  | 2,367     |
| 4         | Mali            | 3,221     | 8         | 27,660    | 103       | 5,725     | 20        | 57,180    | 156       | 2,91,969  | 770       |
| 5         | Egypt           | 3,42,818  | 1161      | 1,06,337  | 719       | 2,18,141  | 853       | 2,07,729  | 1,028     | 1,41,917  | 687       |
| 6         | Cote D 'Ivoire  | 7,584     | 17        | 84,255    | 378       | 16,326    | 72        | 61,751    | 176       | 1,02,278  | 267       |
| 7         | Tanzania        | 2,894     | 9         | 50,844    | 192       | 37,855    | 115       | 1,07,121  | 288       | 72,030    | 189       |
| 8         | Israel          | 26,425    | 80        | 13,972    | 90        | 8,760     | 61        | 10,115    | 62        | 24,132    | 120       |
| 9         | Greece          | 27,705    | 67        | 27,316    | 111       | 16,888    | 61        | 11,214    | 40        | 9,567     | 35        |
| 10        | Sudan           | 632       | 2         | 11,214    | 43        | 3,834     | 12        | -         | -         | 5,273     | 10        |
| 11        | Other Countries | 93,566    | 227       | 5,13,929  | 2,399     | 1,73,445  | 727       | 3,69,307  | 1,089     | 9,32,588  | 2,504     |
| Total     | Total           | 11,02,637 | 3,481     | 21,13,274 | 10,354    | 14,59,396 | 6,029     | 15,19,675 | 5,483     | 41,39,941 | 11,989    |

C.Y.(Crop Year)