Top 10 Cotton Producing States of India in 2026

Table of Contents

• An Overview of Cotton Production
• Which Cotton Species are Cultivated in India?
• What are the Three Main Cotton Zones in India?
• Which are the Top 10 Cotton Producing States in India?
  • Maharashtra 
  • Gujarat 
  • Telangana
  • Karnataka
  • Rajasthan
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Haryana
  • Andhra Pradesh
  • Odisha
  • Punjab
• India’s Cotton Story

An Overview of Cotton Production

India is the largest producer of cotton and cotton plays a vital role in country’s economy. This cotton production provides a direct livelihood to 6 million cotton farmers and indirect employment to 40 – 50 million population of India. That is why cotton is one of the most important cash crops of India. 

The total cotton production in the country, as per the APEDA report of 2024-25, stood at 29,724.17 thousand tonnes. The top three cotton producing states, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Telangana, contributed 67% to the overall cotton production in 2024-25.

Which Cotton Species are Cultivated in India?

India is the only country in the world where all the four species of cotton are cultivated on a commercial scale. These four species are Gossypium arboreum & G.herbaceum (Asian Cotton), G.hirsutum (American Cotton) and G.barbadense (Egyptian Cotton). Of all these cotton species, G.hirsutum represents the 90% of hybrid cotton production in India. 

What are the Three Main Cotton Zones in India?

In India, the majority of cotton production comes from 9 cotton growing states, which are categorized into three diverse agro-ecological zones:

• Northern Zone - Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan
• Central Zone - Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh
• Southern Zone - Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Which are the Top 10 Cotton Producing States in India?

According to the recent data from APEDA, here is the list of top 10 cotton producing states in India in FY 2024-25. 

Maharashtra

Maharashtra produces 7372.86 thousand tonnes of cotton, making it the largest cotton producer in India. This accounts for 24.80% of the country’s total cotton output. Cotton is one of the oldest-growing crops in Maharashtra, and the leading cotton-producing districts are Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Jalna. 

Gujarat

Gujarat is the second largest cotton-producing state in India with a production of 7156.80 thousand tonnes. It contributed 24.08% of the country's total cotton production. The major cotton-producing districts in Gujarat are Amreli, Bhavnagar, Junagarh, and Rajkot. 

Telangana

Telangana, with a share of 19.47% in the country’s total cotton production, is the third-largest cotton producing state in India. It produced 5788.73 thousand tonnes in 2024-25. The majority of cotton is produced in the districts of Adilabad, Warangal, and Khammam. 

Karnataka

Karnataka is the fourth-largest cotton producer in India. With a production of 2273.29 thousand tonnes in 2024-25, it contributed 7.65% to the total cotton production. The major cotton-producing districts in Karnataka are Bijapur, Dharwad, and Bellary. 

Rajasthan

Rajasthan, with a production of 1786.22 thousand tonnes in 2024-25, is the fifth-largest cotton producing state in the country. Its share in total production stood at around 6.01%. Districts like Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Alwar, and Nagaur produce most of the cotton in the state. 

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh is the sixth-largest producer of cotton with a total production of 1535.19 thousand tonnes in 2024-25. Its total production share in cotton production is 5.16%. Cotton is mostly produced in the districts of Khargone, Mandsaur, and Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh. 

Haryana

Haryana produced 1176.63 thousand tonnes of cotton in 2024-25 and is the seventh largest cotton-producing state in the country. The state contributed around 3.96% to the total cotton production. The major cotton-producing districts in the state are Hisar, Sirsa, and Fatehabad. 

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh, with a production of 1131.20 thousand tonnes, is eighth on the list of top cotton-producing states in India. It accounts for around 3.81% of India's total cotton production. Its major crop-producing districts in the state include Guntur, Prakasam, and Kurnool. 

Odisha

Odisha produced 822.54 thousand tonnes of cotton in 2024-25 and is the ninth leading producer of cotton in India. The state accounts for around 2.77% of the total cotton produced in the country.  The state's top districts for cotton production are Bolangir, Rayagada, and Kalahandi. 

Punjab

Punjab is the tenth-largest producer of cotton in India. With a production of 414.21 thousand tonnes in 2024-25, it contributed 1.39% to the country’s total cotton production. The top cotton-producing districts in Punjab include Bhatinda, Muktsar, and Ferozepur. 

India’s Cotton Story

Domestic cotton consumption reached 328 lakh bales during 2025-26. This sector accounts for around 19% of global fibre production. The target of the Mission for Cotton Productivity is to increase output to 498 lakh bales by 2031. In 2024-25, India exported 18 lakh bales, amounting to 0.31 million metric tonnes, mainly to countries like the US, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the UK. Cotton is also known as White-Gold because of its economic importance in India.