33 purchase centers established for cotton purchase in Andhra Pradesh
07-Oct-2024 03:46 PM
Vijayawada. In the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, there has been a decline in the area under cotton cultivation and secondly, cotton has suffered a lot due to floods and rains. The arrival of new cotton has started in various markets but its price is below the government support price, due to which farmers are incurring huge losses. In view of this, the state's Cotton Corporation of India has opened 33 purchase centers for the purchase of cotton in major producing areas.
This time, cotton has been cultivated in about 3.88 lakh hectares in Andhra Pradesh and its average yield rate is expected to be 15-20 quintals. Farmers can sell their produce in two different phases at government purchase centers. The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has arranged to pay the cotton purchase price to farmers within a week.
Farmers say that private traders are trying to buy cotton at very low prices citing poor quality. Farmers are being forced to sell their produce at low prices due to several reasons. Firstly, the colour of white cotton (raw cotton) has turned pale and secondly, the length of the cotton fibre has also become shorter. Apart from this, the moisture content in cotton is high, so traders are reluctant to buy it. Seeing the concern and helplessness of the farmers, the Central Government directed its subordinate agency- Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to become active and accordingly that agency also immediately swung into action.
The Central Government has increased the minimum support price of cotton by Rs. 500 and fixed it at Rs. 7521 per quintal for medium fibre variety. CCI has decided to open 33 purchase centres and has notified its ginning mills as purchase centres and in areas where there are no ginning mills, purchase centres have been opened in the premises of the local wholesale market. CCI has very little previous stock of cotton left and it has urged farmers not to bring cotton packed in plastic or jute bags but to bring it in open form to the procurement centres so that the moisture content in it remains low and farmers do not face any difficulty in selling it at the minimum support price.