The increase in the extent of cotton cultivation this kharif in Telangana, up by over 26.5% compared to last year, has made the State government plan arrangements for the procurement of the fibre crop well in advance, keeping in mind the experience it had last year in the case of redgram, chilli and turmeric.
In the absence of any advisory from the State government, the poor market price for alternative crops such as pulses, maize and soyabean last year, and the favourable seasonal conditions, the farming community has taken to cotton cultivation on a large scale this season.
The Agriculture Department has put the extent of cotton cultivation this season at 17.84 lakh hectares, more than half of the 34.42 lakh hectares covered by all crops so far, against 14.10 lakh hectares last year.
Good prices
“Another major reason that has driven the farmers to go for cotton this year is the good price commanded by the crop last year — better than the minimum support price of Rs.4,160 per quintal”, a senior official said. The Centre has already fixed the MSP at Rs.4,320 per quintal for long-staple variety of cotton this year.
Failure of the crop in the northern and western parts of the country due to drought conditions and the pest attack in Pakistan last year had jacked up the prices of the fibre crop in the national markets and for exports. However, an advisory issued by the Telangana government suggesting that the farmers go for alternative crops in the wake of cotton farmers’ suicides a year earlier, had restricted the cultivation of the crop to only 14.10 lakh hectares.
“Minister for Marketing T. Harish Rao made a representation recently to Chairman and Managing Director of the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) M.M. Chockalingam requesting him to increase the number of procurement centres to 150 in the wake of increase in production this year,” Secretary (Agriculture) C. Parthasarathi said. He added that the marketing department had been directed to prepare an action plan for cotton procurement year before August-end.
The CCI operated 84 procurement centres in the State last year against 90 planned ones. The State government urged it to add another 66 centres this year. A representation has also been made to Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on the matter.
Meanwhile, State president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) K. Laxman said here on Saturday that the Union Minister had agreed to direct the CCI to set up 54 more procurement centres in the current year in addition to the 90 sanctioned last year.
Official sources said they would be extra cautious from day one of cotton arrivals this year, likely to happen from October, keeping in mind the unprecedented protests from chilli and turmeric farmers last year due to a slump in the prices. Redgram procurement was far more smooth compared to other crops.
On the other hand, the Agriculture Department is worried about the cotton cultivation eating into pulses by 2.19 lakh hectares and that of maize and soyebean by another 2.31 lakh hectares this year compared to the last kharif season.
