Centre approves ₹5,659 crore Mission for Cotton Productivity for 2026-31 cycle

The Union Cabinet approved the ₹5,659.22 crore Mission for Cotton Productivity for the cycle of 2026-27 to 2030-31 and this decision was announced on the 5th May, 2026. This mission will tackle declining yields, quality issues and the global competitiveness. This mission is also aims to transform the entire cotton value chain from farming to exports along with ensuring sustainability and better income for farmers.

Cabinet Clears ₹5,659 Crore Cotton Productivity Mission

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Honorable PM Narendra Modi has approved the ambitious national mission to boost the cotton productivity and quality.

This mission will focus on to increase the cotton yield and farmer income.

Also to promote the high-quality and contamination free cotton.

It will also strengthen the India’s position in global textile markets/

The initiative will be implemented jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Ministry of Textiles while ensuring the coordination across the entire cotton value chain.

Vision Behind the Mission: 5F Strategy

The mission is aligned with the the Union Government’s 5F vision which is,

Farm → Fibre → Factory → Fashion → Foreign

This approach will ensures the cotton production is not seen in isolation but as part of the larger ecosystem which includes processing, manufacturing, branding and exports.

The main goal is to create the seamless and value driven textile supply chain.

Key Focus Areas of the Cotton Mission

• Development of the High Yielding and Climate Resilient Seeds
• Adoption of the Modern Cotton Farming Techniques
• Also to improve the Cotton Quality and Processing
• Strengthening the Testing and Certification Infrastructure
• Also focus on branding with Kasturi Cotton Bharat
• Digital Integration and the Farmer Empowerment
• Sustainability and Fibre Diversification

Implementation Strategy

The mission will cover the total 140 districts across 14 states. It will have the collaboration with 10 ICAR institutes, 1 CSIR institute and AICRP centres.

And also have the partnership with Active involvement of State Agricultural Universities (SAUs).

The integrated approach will ensures the both research and field-level execution.

Targets and Expected Outcomes

The mission sets the key ambitious but achievable goals.

• As main target is to increase the cotton production to 498 lakh bales.
• Also to improve the productivity from 440 kg/ha to 755 kg/ha by 2031.
• And reduce the contamination levels to below 2%.
• The main focus to boost the high-quality cotton exports.

These targets are aims to make India self reliant in the cotton sector while enhancing the global competitiveness.