Growth of Cotton Cultivation: A Study in Tamil Nadu

Cotton is an important cash crop and source of livelihood for nearly 15 million farmers in 10 India States. In India, 60% of the total cropped area is classified as dry land or rain fed area representing 40% of the total agricultural production. Tamil Nadu is one of the major producers of the cotton in India along with Maharashtra (35.50 %) followed by Gujarat (16.32 %), Karnataka (9.20 %), Andhra Pradesh (8.17%), Punjab (8.51 %), Madhya Pradesh (7.21 %), Haryana (5.91 %), Rajasthan (5.45 %), Tamil Nadu (3.16 %). during 2012-2013. Cotton one of the principal crops in India and enjoys pride of place and unique position in our country. Against this background, this study is focused on growth rate of cotton. Cotton is one of the most important textile fibres in the world, accounting for 35% of the world fibre use. Cotton was first cultivated in the Old World about 7,000 years ago, by the inhabitants of the Indus Valley Civilization. This civilization covered a huge swath of the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising today parts of eastern Pakistan and north-western India