WARDHA, India: India is likely to export nearly one-fifth less cotton than previously estimated as pink bollworms are set to eat into the south Asian country´s output which was expected to hit a record, industry officials told Reuters on Thursday. Lower exports from the world´s biggest producer will help its rivals like the U.S., Brazil and Australia to raise their exports to Asian buyers like Pakistan, China and Bangladesh. "This year exportable surplus will be around 6 million bales. Production estimates are revised down due to the pest attack," said Nayan Mirani, a partner at Khimji Visram & Sons, a leading cotton exporter. Earlier, industry officials were estimating exports of 7.5 million bales of 150 kg each. A 19 percent jump in the area planted for cotton prompted industry officials to estimate record production of 40 million bales in the 2017/2018 season starting on Oct. 1. But farmers found that as harvesting started fields were infested with pink bollworms which consume the cotton fibre and seeds inside the boll, or fruit, of the plant. The problem was especially widespread in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, the country´s biggest cotton grower. "In many regions the pest attack was severe. We now think production would be around 37.5 million bales," said Chirag Patel, chief executive at Jaydeep Cotton Fibers Pvt Ltd. The bollworm infestation has occurred even as Indian farmers have adopted genetically-modified seeds known as Bt cotton that are resistant to the pest.
