Although Modi announced in a televised speech the severe measures of “a nationwide lockdown for 21 days starting from 0:00 on March 25” and successively stopped entry visas for citizens from China, South Korea and Iran, it still failed to prevent The COVID-19 epidemic has “exploded” and spread in all directions. The most serious ones are currently in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Kerala. Only Sikkim, Nagaland and Meghalaya have not yet The discovery of confirmed cases means that the epidemic has basically spread throughout India.
In late March, Pakistan’s southern Sindh and eastern Punjab provinces, which are severely affected by the epidemic, announced “province closures” and implemented measures such as restricting the movement of people and closing markets and shopping malls. Some institutions believe that as the epidemic in Europe and the United States eases and the peak gradually recedes, Southeast Asia and Africa may become the “epicenter” of the new crown epidemic.
As the epidemic rages in India and Pakistan, the industry is worried about whether it will have an impact and damage to the cotton planting area in 2020. Some cotton export companies and international cotton merchants believe that the current impact is not significant. The key is Can the new coronavirus epidemic be “caged” before late May, and the spread of the epidemic can be effectively controlled and even reach an “inflection point”?
First, the cotton planting period in cotton areas such as India and Pakistan is relatively long, concentrated from May to July (the arrival of the monsoon). The current epidemic mainly affects farmers’ preparation for farming and sowing;
Second, the current epidemic situation in India’s main cotton-producing areas is relatively mild. If prevention and control are effective, the impact is expected to be weakened. The main cotton-producing regions in India are Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan (but the epidemic in Sindh and Punjab, the two major cotton-producing regions in Pakistan, is more severe);
Third, India and Pakistan Actively learn from and copy China’s epidemic prevention and control “work”, and the results are obvious. India has absorbed China’s experience – “early detection, early isolation, early diagnosis, early treatment” and announced the renovation of about 20,000 train carriages to house mild patients. The Indian army has also joined the fight against the new coronavirus epidemic. in the fight against the epidemic; and all walks of life in China continue to support Pakistan in fighting the epidemic, sending medical teams, donating medical supplies, etc., which has greatly enhanced Pakistan’s confidence in fighting the epidemic;
Fourth, India’s MSP “support”, Driven by the grain and cotton price comparison effect, the decline in enthusiasm for cotton planting is not obvious. Some institutions, Indian ginners and cotton textile mills believe that although the epidemic has a greater impact on India’s exports of cotton, cotton yarn, gray fabrics, and clothing, the expectations for MSP reduction in 2020 are not high. </p
