CCI fails to protect interests of cotton farmers

Khammam: On the surface, it seems surprising that in Khammam, farmers are shying away from the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), a body designed to help them. However, the element of surprise soon dissipates when the facts are revealed.

 

The farmers have long been disgruntled with the CCI for various reasons. The CCI has been accused of not opening the cotton procurement centres at the right time or when it did, it would not come to the rescue of farmers when chips are down.

 

This year too, the CCI has opened inadequate number of procurement centres, but surprising, farmers are preferring to sell their produce to middlemen and commission agents, despite allegations of exploitation by the private players.

 

The reason is simple—the farmers are still able to get a better price for their produce than from the CCI, which has fixed the support price at Rs4,000 per quintal, while the private players are offering them anywhere between Rs 4,500 and Rs 4,700 per quintal.

 

More alluring for the farmers is the fact that the private players are buying cotton at their doorsteps.

 

Here is where the allegations of exploitation come in. Taking advantage of farmers’ reluctance to go to CCI centres, the traders have begun to exploit the cultivators by quoting lower prices citing high moisture content. Allegations that tampered weighing machines are being used too are now commonplace.

It is alleged that the short measurement is costing farmers about 5 to 10 kg per quintal.

 

K. Kanaka Raju, a farmer from Bhairavunipadu, said that CCI had refused to buy the cotton when heavy rains lashed the district last month, saying that the produce was discoloured. “Moreover, the CCI don’t give us good rates and they inordinately delay payment as well,” he said.

 

Khammam agriculture market yard chairman M. Radhakishore told this newspaper on Friday that CCI norms don’t augur well for farmers.

“The CCI offers Rs4,000 a quintal for cotton with moisture content up to 8 per cent. Thereafter, they cut Rs40 for each per cent of increase in moisture content up to 12 per cent,” he said, faulting the CCI for its refusal to pay bag cost of Rs9.60 each.

 

Mr Radhakishore also questioned the existence of CCI if it can’t help farmers when they need it the most.

 

Khammam, with 4.30 lakh acres being under cotton cultivation, is one of the two largest cotton-growing districts along with Guntur and Warangal. The scenario reflects poor state of affairs of the CCI, which was established in 1970, to help cotton farmers by ensuring them remunerative price for their produce.