The Telangana government has urged Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh to initiate cotton procurement through the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) starting October 1. The state cultivated cotton across 17.52 lakh hectares and anticipates a yield of 24.70 lakh tonnes. Telangana Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao emphasized in his letter that many cotton farmers are small and medium-scale growers, for whom procurement at the minimum support price (MSP) is vital for their livelihoods.
Last week, the state government convened a meeting with representatives from the CCI, the ginning mills association, and the marketing department to assess expected output and pricing conditions for farmers. Rao noted that despite the CCI calling for tenders on two occasions, ginning mills opted not to participate, citing concerns regarding new guidelines.
To safeguard farmers’ interests, the Minister has instructed the marketing department to establish monitoring committees at procurement centers. Currently, the market price for cotton in Telangana stands at ₹6,700 per quintal, which is ₹1,410 below the MSP of ₹8,110. In this context, Rao expressed his apprehensions in the letter regarding the likelihood of farmers resorting to distress sales.
