Cotton farmers of Telangana want the committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to recommend lower maximum sale price (MSP) of Bt. cotton seeds.
“They suggested a MSP of Rs.400-600 per packet (of 450 grams). The existing price of the seed is Rs.930,” said P.Sugunakar Rao, farmers representative in the committee and national general secretary of BJP Kisan Morcha.
Speaking after an interaction with leaders of various farmers association, many of them affiliated to political parties here, Mr.Rao said the farmers were agitated about the Bt 2 cotton seeds not living up to promise of tackling pest attacks. The farmers, he said, had sustained heavy losses because of the bollworm (pest) attack and questioned the pricing policy of the seed producers, which included royalty fees.
Even while refraining from suggesting an ideal MSP, in view of being a member of the committee, he said the meeting with Telangana farmers, from five districts, is to be followed in coming days with the cotton farmers of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
