Kurnool: Cotton farmers in Kurnool district are grappling with difficulties posed by the stringent moisture limits set by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI).
The CCI has placed conditions on the cotton it purchases, rejecting any cotton with moisture content exceeding 12% and only accepting stocks with moisture below 8%. As a result, farmers are facing difficulties in selling their produce.
Out of an estimated 4 lakh metric tonnes of cotton harvested, the CCI has purchased 3.25 lakh quintals so far, leaving many farmers with unsold stocks.
The support price announced by CCI is Rs 7,521 per quintal, a price that farmers welcomed. However, the full support price is given only if the moisture content is 8% or lower. For moisture content between 9% and 12%, the price is reduced proportionally for each percentage point.
If the moisture content exceeds 12%, CCI would refuse to purchase the cotton altogether. This situation is leaving farmers with large quantities of unsold cotton. They say the conditions are stringent.
CCI has begun purchasing cotton from 15 jinning mills under the Mantralayam, Adoni, Yemmiganur and Kodumur agricultural market committees in the district. Due to the quoting of lower prices in the open market, the farmers are turning to CCI centres for support. However, many are frustrated with the rejection of their cotton due to high moisture content.
Additionally, farmers are waiting for long periods to sell their cotton, leading to further hardship.
Cotton cultivation in Kurnool district spanned 1.97 lakh hectares, with an average yield of 7.41 quintals per acre or 15 quintals per hectare. This resulted in an estimated total yield of 3,72,546 metric tonnes.
By the end of December last year, CCI had purchased 3.24 lakh quintals of cotton from around 14,000 farmers, amounting to `240 crore in purchases.
Despite these purchases, farmers like P Ramanji from Adoni are disheartened by the cap on purchases. "If a farmer has 20 quintals, only 8 quintals are bought by CCI, while the rest are sold in the open market at a much lower price," he lamented.
With CCI purchasing only 40% of a farmer’s total yield, many agriculturists are facing severe economic difficulties. Now, farmers are urging the government to reconsider the moisture cap and provide support to help them clear their unsold stocks. They are requesting a reduction in the moisture limit, which would allow more of their cotton to be accepted by the CCI at the full support price.
