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Extra-Long Staple (ELS) Cotton
February 9 , 2025
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- The Union Budget 2025 announced a five-year mission to “facilitate significant improvements in productivity and sustainability of cotton farming, and promote extra-long staple (ELS) cotton varieties”.
- Cotton is classified, based on the length of its fibres, as long, medium, or short staple.
- Gossypium hirsutum, which constitutes roughly 96% of the cotton grown in India, falls in the medium staple category.
- Its fibre lengths ranging from 25 to 28.6 mm.
- On the other hand, ELS varieties boast fibre lengths of 30 mm and above.
- The Most ELS cotton comes from the species Gossypium barbadense, commonly known as Egyptian or Pima cotton.
- Having originated in South America, ELS cotton today is mainly grown in China, Egypt, Australia, and Peru.
- In India, some ELS cotton is grown along rain fed parts of Atpadi taluka in Maharashtra’s Sangli district, and around Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.
- Currently, India’s per acre yields are significantly lower than other countries.
- For instance, Brazil boasts an average yield of 20 quintals per acre, while China boasts a yield of 15 quintals.
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