New Delhi [India], August 3 (ANI): India’s cotton surplus is narrowing, making cotton more expensive for textile producers and increasing the need to diversify towards man-made fibres, as per a report by Nuvama Institutional Equities. The report noted, India’s cotton balance sheet is shifting from a surplus towards equilibrium. Production has declined from a peak of 6.31 billion kg in CS21 to an estimated 4.95 billion kg in CS26, while imports have tripled from 0.26 billion kg to 0.80 billion kg. Meanwhile, exports have fallen sharply from 1.28 billion kg to 0.20 billion kg, while Shankar-6 cotton prices surged from INR 110/kg in CS21 to INR 221/kg in CS23 before moderating to around INR 155/kg, as per the report. However, for the broader industry, the fading cotton surplus strengthens the case for expanding man-made fibre (MMF) capacity, as the textile value chain increasingly needs to diversify its fibre mix.