"Telangana Farmers Protest Over Sub-MSP Cotton Prices"
2024-11-16 18:28:31
Telangana Farmers Protest as Cotton Prices Fall Below MSP
Cotton farmers in Telangana have staged protests over declining prices, alleging that traders in the Khammam agricultural market yard are purchasing cotton below the government-declared Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Farmers claim that even Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) is not offering the expected support, with prices falling significantly short of the MSP of ₹7,521 per quintal. According to growers, the highest price received was around ₹6,850 per quintal, and that too by only a few farmers, while many were forced to sell at even lower rates of ₹6,400 per quintal.
Expressing disappointment, farmers said they had anticipated prices between ₹8,000 and ₹11,000 per quintal. The current situation, they argue, is leading to heavy financial losses.
Adding to their concerns, farmers have accused traders of manipulating prices by manually assessing the moisture content of cotton instead of using standard machines. They allege that a trader syndicate is influencing rates unfairly.
Despite intervention by District Collector Muzamil Khan, who visited the market yard and warned traders against violating MSP norms, farmers claim that the ground situation remains unchanged.
Meanwhile, K. Praveen Kumar Reddy, Secretary of the Khammam cotton market yard, stated that notices have been issued to traders and further action will be taken after reviewing their responses.
Currently, around 45,000 bags of cotton are arriving daily at the Khammam market yard from across the erstwhile district, intensifying pressure on procurement and pricing systems.
