Days after the commencement of cotton arrivals into market yards, the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has been asked to start procurement of the produce from October 10 by opening all the 84 purchase centres planned by Oct. 17.
The decision comes in the wake of cotton farmers going berserk in the Warangal market yard, where the traders allegedly formed a syndicate and reportedly offered Rs.1,250 per quintal against the minimum support price of Rs.4,100. Opposition parties’ raised the issue during the debate on farmers’ suicide in the Assembly earlier this week and blamed the government for setting up purchase centres in advance.
Telangana is one of the major producers of the commercial crop in the country with farmers taking up its cultivation on over 42.22 lakh acres in the kharif season, in spite of adverse weather conditions. A lion’s share of the cultivation, about 75 per cent, is being done in Adilabad, Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, Warangal and Karimnagar districts and the production is estimated to be in the range of 15 to 20 lakh bales of 170 kgs each. The State Government has taken pride by ensuring procurement of about 91 per of the total produce of 17.59 lakh bales last year through the CCI. Minister T. Harish Rao directed the authorities to issue identity cards to all cotton-producing farmers by Oct. 10 by taking the help of Revenue Department so that the traders, who make purchases from farmers in distress, are kept away. Mr. Harish Rao also directed the Marketing Department to start procurement of maize from Oct. 10 with the help of Markfed. He told the officials to take up wide publicity and create awareness among cotton farmers to keep the moisture content in cotton only from 8 per cent to 12 p.c. so that the price of Rs.4,100, Rs.4,059, Rs.4,018, Rs.3,977 and Rs.3,936 is paid to them.
Further, the officials were instructed to make online payment to farmers immediately after disposal of their produce.
Make online payment to farmers immediately after disposal of their produce
Harish Rao
Minister for Marketing
