SICA seeks efforts to increase cotton production in State

The South India Cotton Association has appealed to the State Government to take efforts for increasing cotton production in the State.

Speaking at the annual general meeting of the association here on Sunday, its president C. Soundara Raj said the annual cotton crop in the State was stagnating at five lakh bales. The association had suggested to the State Cotton Council that production should be increased to 15 lakh bales.

The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) started godowns in Coimbatore and Rajapalayam to sell cotton to the textile mills in the State. “The scheme should be enlarged and refined.”

Procurement

The corporation should stock about 50 per cent of its procurement in these godowns as the State had 50 per cent of the country's spindleage.

The mills in Tamil Nadu usually purchased cotton through the local agents and brokers. This system should be strengthened to ensure availability of cotton to the mills even at the end of the season, he said.

According to the secretary of the association K.N. Viswanathan, Karnataka's cotton production now was 12 lakh bales and it was targeting 35 lakh bales. Textile mills in Tamil Nadu were the largest consumers of cotton and hence the State Government should come forward and form a sub-committee to increase cotton production in the State.

Projects should be prepared to increase the production in a couple of years.

He added the CCI should increase its cotton supply to the mills in the State through the godowns started in Coimbatore and Rajapalayam.