Guntur: Cotton fetches good price in open market

Guntur: Compared to last year, the cotton price has gone up due to increase in demand for quality cotton in the market. Cotton is being sold at Rs 8,800 to Rs 9,000 per quintal in the open market, while the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has fixed minimum support price of Rs 6,380 to Rs 6,280 per quintal. Depending upon the moisture percentage, the CCI will fix the price of cotton.

Farmers are also choosing open market to sell the yield as private buyers are offering better price.

Last year, cotton was sold at Rs 7,500 to Rs 10,000 per quintal. Due to Covid-19, there was heavy demand for masks and manufactures used cotton cloth for making masks.

When cotton crops were damaged, demand increased for quality cotton. Similarly, failure of cotton crop across the country during last season was one of the reasons for the increasing demand for cotton. Besides, exporters keeping huge cotton stocks also attributed to the raise in demand.

According to official sources, the CCI has set up 85 centres including 51 Ginning Mills and 34 Agriculture Market Yards in the State and made necessary arrangements to purchase cotton from Tuesday (November 1).

The CCI officials informed that at present private buyers are offering better price than the CCI. It is a good sign, which will benefit the farmers.

When the cotton price fall in the open market, the farmers will bring their cotton stocks to CCI centres to get MSP. The CCI is ready to purchase cotton at MSP at the notified centres.

Sources in the agriculture department informed that many chilli farmers incurred loss due to crop loss last season and were shifted to cotton farming this year. According to sources, farmers have sowed cotton in 17 lakh acres across the State this year. In Rayalaseema districts also, farmers, who cultivated groundnut earlier, are now shifted to cotton. Owing to this, the total cotton cultivating area has increased. The officials are expecting nearly 20 lakh tonnes of cotton yield during this season.

A farmer P Sivaiah, who cultivated cotton in three acres in Amaravati mandal, said, "During this season, I am expecting five to six quintals yield per acre due to crop damage caused by rains and pink bollworm attack."