ADILABAD: Cotton farmers are looking for a hike in the existing MSP of Rs 625 for cotton, offered by the central government, in the hope that they got a good price for cotton in the market in the last season.
News spread among farmer that the central government may hike 10-15 per cent in the MSP for cotton this Kharif season. It is expected that this time also the price may touch Rs 10,000.
Recently, the price of cotton touched Rs 14, 000 in the Karimnagar district of Telangana. Farmers are showing interest in cotton this season, hoping to get a good price and yield.
It is expected that cotton may be cultivated in 4 lakh acres, up from 3.85 lakh in the last Kharif, in Adilabad district this Kharif season.
Cotton fetched good price in Telangana following the rise in demand and price for the commodity in international market.
Former chairman of Adilabad market committee, Sanjeev Reddy, said the good yield for cotton in the last Kharif season and the good price on offer raised the hopes of cotton farmers. This will lead to a major increase in the area under cotton cultivation this Kharif in Adilabad district, he said.
He himself is preparing to sow cotton in his 40 acres of land this Kharif.
The majority of farmers got a good price for their cotton in the last Kharif though the yield was affected by rain and floods.
Sanjeev Reddy said farmers are preparing to sow cotton seeds on June 6 or 8 as they considered these days as auspicious and also ‘mirugu’; and that the good days will continue for the next three days.
Most cotton farmers got Rs 8,000 last Kharif while the MSP was Rs 6,025; and farmers got Rs 7,800 for soya though the MSP was Rs 4,500, the last season.
Farmers strongly believe that they will get 40 quintals of yield more for one acre if they sow cotton seeds on ‘mirugu’ or the auspicious days, with the onset of rains. Two or three spells of rains are required for the germination of the seeds.
However, he said a risk is involved in sowing the cotton seeds on the day of ‘mirugu’.
There are those who say farmers will become stable for ten years if they get a good price and yield for cotton continuously for four seasons and then the farmers would not look for loans from private moneylenders.
