Farmers worried about falling cotton prices, questioning import policy
Adilabad: The continuous decline in cotton prices has increased farmers' concerns. On Wednesday, cotton prices fell to ₹8,850 per quintal at the Adilabad market yard, compared to the government-set minimum support price (MSP) of ₹8,667 per quintal. Farmers had hoped that prices would reach ₹10,000 per quintal this season due to a decrease in cotton production, but current market trends have dashed their hopes.
On the first day of commercial cotton trading, the highest price recorded was ₹9,260 per quintal. Farmers allege that they are not receiving the expected profits from the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), forcing them to sell their produce to private traders at prices slightly higher than the MSP.
Kondru Narsingh, a farmer from Yapalguda village in the Adilabad rural division, said that by the time market prices improve, most farmers will have sold their crop. He alleged that private traders are undercutting cotton prices when the moisture content exceeds 12 percent, preventing farmers from receiving fair prices.
Farmers say that the second and third harvests of cotton are highly unlikely in the current season. Therefore, even if prices rise in the coming days, they are unlikely to benefit.
Meanwhile, Adilabad Market Committee Chairman Boranchu Srikanth Reddy said that efforts are being made to ensure farmers receive better prices than the MSP. He explained that cold and fog are increasing the moisture content of cotton, which is impacting market prices.
Srikanth Reddy also blamed the central government's import policy for the drop in cotton prices. According to him, if the central government's import policy had not affected the market, cotton prices could have reached ₹12,000 per quintal this season.
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