Cotton (kapas) prices in India: the season, CCI and what moves prices

What this guide covers

Cotton is one of India's biggest cash crops, and its mandi price decides the income of millions of farmers in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana and beyond. This guide explains what is actually sold in the mandis (kapas), how the cotton season runs, the role of the Cotton Corporation of India and the minimum support price, what moves prices, and the latest prices across markets.

Kapas: what the mandi price is for

Farmers sell kapas: raw cotton as picked, with the seed still inside the fibre. Ginning mills separate it into lint (the fibre spun into yarn), which is pressed into bales, and cotton seed, which is crushed for oil and cake. The mandi price is for kapas, per quintal (100 kg), so it is much lower than the price of lint or of a bale that you may see in trade news.

Where cotton is grown and traded

Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana grow the most cotton, followed by states such as Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. Most of it is rain-fed and sown with the monsoon. Large markets include Rajkot and other yards in Saurashtra, Akola, Yavatmal and Amravati in Vidarbha, and Adilabad, Warangal (Enumamula), Jammikunta and Khammam in Telangana.

The cotton season

India's cotton year runs from October to September. Picking begins around October; arrivals in the mandis build up through November and December and usually stay heavy into the new year, then thin out from about March. Prices tend to be under the most pressure when arrivals peak and firmer late in the season when less cotton is left to sell, but the size of the crop, export demand and world prices can override this pattern.

CCI and the minimum support price

The central government announces a minimum support price (MSP) for medium and long staple cotton before each season. When mandi prices fall to or below the MSP, the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) buys kapas from farmers at the MSP through its purchase centres, usually at market yards. CCI checks quality, especially moisture: wet cotton weighs more but yields less fibre, so lots with more moisture than its norm are paid less or turned away. When private traders pay more than the MSP, CCI's buying slows down.

What moves cotton prices

Beyond the size of the Indian crop, cotton prices follow demand from spinning mills, the export market and the price of cotton abroad, which is traded on futures exchanges and moves with the crops in the United States, Brazil and China. Pests such as pink bollworm, too much or too little rain, and import or export duties can all shift the price. Within a market, quality matters: fibre length, cleanliness, colour and moisture decide where a lot sells within the day's range.

From kapas to bales

When kapas is ginned, roughly a third of its weight comes out as lint and most of the rest as cotton seed. Lint is pressed into bales; an Indian bale holds 170 kg of lint, and India's crop and trade are counted in these bales. So the value of kapas rests on two prices, lint and cotton seed, which is why we also follow cotton seed prices where markets report them.

Cotton in Telangana

Telangana is one of India's three biggest cotton states. Most of its cotton is grown in the north and centre of the state, around Adilabad, Asifabad, Mancherial, Warangal, Karimnagar, Khammam and Nalgonda, and sown with the monsoon. During the season CCI runs purchase centres at market yards and ginning mills across the state, and yards such as Adilabad, Warangal's Enumamula and Jammikunta are among the busiest cotton markets in the south.

The latest cotton prices

On 15 Oct, the median mandi price of cotton across the markets that reported it that day was ₹9,104 per quintal; 120 markets reported it in the last 30 days. Our cotton page lists every state and market, with the lowest and highest prices and charts.

Week by week

Over the last 8 weeks, the weekly median price moved from ₹8,300 per quintal (week ending 23 Aug 2026) to ₹8,500 per quintal (week ending 11 Oct 2026), a change of +2.4%. Each figure is the median of every price that markets reported that week (Monday to Sunday).

Cheaper and dearer months

Across 14 full years of records between 2006 and 2025, cotton has usually been cheapest in October and dearest in August. The table shows how far each month's median has typically been above or below its year's average. It describes past patterns, not a forecast: a bad season or a bumper crop can break it.

How to read our cotton pages

The cotton page shows the median price across India, a table by state, the lowest and highest markets, and a chart over time. State and market pages give each market's minimum, maximum and modal price per quintal for the last 30 days, always with the date the market reported it.

Common questions

Why was my cotton bought below the MSP? The MSP is for kapas of fair average quality with moisture within CCI's norm. Lots with more moisture, or with trash, stains or short fibre, get a lower price or may be refused.

When are cotton prices usually lowest? In our records (14 full years between 2006 and 2025), cotton has usually been cheapest in October and dearest in August. A poor or bumper crop can change that in any one year.

Is the price on this site for lint or for a bale? No, it is for kapas, per quintal, as farmers sell it. Lint and bale prices are much higher per kilo because ginning removes the seed.

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