New Delhi: The government on Tuesday announced a five-year mission to increase the productivity of the cotton crop with an outlay of Rs 5,659.22 crore.

According to an official statement, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved "Rs 5659.22 crore for Mission for Cotton Productivity (2026-27 to 2030-31) to address bottlenecks, declining growth, and quality concerns in India's cotton sector."

India's cotton production stood at 291 lakh bales of 170 kg each during the 2025-26 crop year (July-June), according to the government's latest estimate.

The mission aligns with the '5F vision' (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign), and would focus on enhancing cotton productivity, it added.

The cotton yield will be improved through the development of high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds resistant to disease and pests, scaling up of existing and latest crop production technologies through state governments, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs).

There would be large-scale promotion and adoption of the latest crop production technologies. The mission seeks to ensure a least contaminant cotton supply to the industry and promote high-quality cotton exports.

"The Mission envisages to accomplish the production of 498 lakh bales (170 kg lint each) of cotton by enhancing lint productivity from 440 kg/hectares to 755 kg/hectares by 2031," the statement said.

About 32 lakh farmers will benefit, leading to self-reliance.

The Mission will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Textiles, involving 10 institutes of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), one institute of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and 10 centres of All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRPs) on cotton operating in different state agricultural universities (SAUs) of major cotton-growing states.

Initially, 140 districts will be focused in 14 states through the state department of agriculture and ICAR for upscaling technologies and 2000 ginning/ processing factories.