varieties quoted 30-40 per cent higher and extra long staple cotton about 80-90 per cent higher. How cotton prices might behave in the event of a bumber harvest is difficult to forecast. It would be rash to draw any firm conclusions about prices based merely on the size of the crop. The 198889 crop is only three lakh bales lower than the previous record harvest in 1985-86 but prices this season have ruled substantially above those in 1985-86, with the wholesale price index for cotton moving between 274.7 and 310 whereas in 1985-86 it had moved between 223.9 and