Warangal: Soaring cotton price is bait

Warangal: On the surface it seems that farmers have had a good season with the cotton commanding a reasonable price all along since the arrivals have begun (October 2020), but in reality, the season wasn't that fair compared to the ever rising costs of farming.

In the peak of the season's arrival, the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) had purchased the produce for Rs 5,850 per quintal, the minimum support price (MSP). As the season comes to the end, a very few farmers who have storage facilities and financial capabilities to withhold their produce command a good price just like what was happening for the last few weeks.

On Friday, cotton price hit the season's best with Rs 7,260 a quintal at the Enumamula Agriculture Market Yard. But it benefitted a very few farmers. In fact, the volume of the cotton that raked in record price was just 45 bags (each bag is equal to 60 kgs). Majority of farmers sold their produce to the CCI which stopped purchasing some time ago. It amounts to nearly 10 lakh quintals.

"The white gold that barely commanded a remunerative price for the better part of the season has suddenly hit the record price. This is bait thrown down by the traders and middlemen to lure the farmers to go for cotton cultivation. The traders want farmers to reap a bumper harvest and stand before them like beggars, so that they can push them to go for distress sale," the All India Kisan Federation (AIKF) State joint secretary Peddarapu Ramesh told The Hans India. Nothing new about it as it happened before, he said, accusing the government of not having a proper plan to address the issues of farmers. He demanded the government to announce a bonus of Rs 1,000 per quintal.

On the other hand, Enumamula Agriculture Market Yard chairman Chintham Sadanandam said that cotton farmers have a pretty good season.

P Sambaiah, a farmer of Gurijala village under Narsampet mandal, who cultivated cotton in 2.5 acres, said that the price barely fetched him anything to cheer.