Farmers sell cotton in open mkt

Guntur: While Cotton Corporation of India  fixed a  Minimum  Support Price for cotton at Rs 4,320 per quintal  during this season, cotton  is being  sold at Rs 5,400 per quintal  in the  open market due to increase  in  demand for  cotton  in  the domestic  and international market.  

If the demand continues, cotton price is expected to increase further and touch Rs 5,700 in the coming few months.

According to agriculture marketing department, the farmers in the State cultivated cotton in 6 lakh hectares in the State as they secured good price during the last season.  

However, due to delay in rains and pink bollworm attack on the crop, the farmers got lesser yield this year.

Every year they get a yield of 15 quintals per acre. But this year they secured only 10 quintals per acre. Though cotton cultivated area increased, production did not increase to that extent.  Similarly,  due to pink bollworm  attack,  the  cotton yield went down in Telangana,  Punjab  and  Haryana  States  also. This increased the demand for cotton in the market. 

As the demand for cotton is going up, the traders and exporters started   purchasing cotton at a higher price. Cotton was sold during the last season at Rs 5,000 per quintal but now it is being sold at Rs 5,400 per quintal.  

An official in the Agriculture Marketing Department T Bhaskar Reddy said,” The farmers are selling cotton in the open market to get a better price. The CCI opened counters in the State to extend helping hand to the farmers. Delay in rains and pink bollworm attack are reasons for fall in production and increase in demand for cotton in the domestic market.” 

Andhra Pradesh Spinning Mills Yarn wing president Pachala Chalapati Rao said, “Nation-wide during the last season we have produced 345 lakh bales while during this season the Cotton Advisory Board expecting production of 377 lakh bales.”

V L Syam Sundar