Cotton acreage was more than two-fold higher on year at 4.6 million ha as of Thursday. The acreage was also higher than the normal of 3.4 million ha for the corresponding period, based on the average of last five years. The acreage is sharply higher than last year due to a huge shift from pulses to cotton as it offers lucrative prices. Good progress of monsoon has also aided cotton sowing across the country. In the largest producer Maharashtra, acreage was 62-fold up on year at 1.2 million ha. In another major grower Telangana, sowing was 53.2% higher than a year ago at 881,000 ha.