Cotton yield in the country seems to be on a downswing in the last three years, despite production set to scale a new peak this season that began in October. The yield per hectare hit a record 554 kg in 2007-08. Since then, it has been dropping [...] “In the last two years, cotton has been grown in new areas where it has never been grown before. It is fine to reach 100 lakh hectares, but it is not desirable to reach 200 lakh hectares,” said Dr C.D. Mayee, President of Indian Society for Cotton Improvement. [...] “Some farmers in Maharashtra have taken to cotton farming without the requisite experience. It is one of the reasons for some committing suicide,” said a Maharashtra official.