Farmers joyful, say in high cotton now

Adilabad: Cotton growers are earning remunerative price for their produce in the district. Earlier, they had to shift the produce to market yards and would be content with MSP paid there. Now, they are able to sell right from their doorsteps to private traders at good prices in the erstwhile Adilabad district.

This year crops have been severely affected due to natural disasters. The recent heavy rains had caused heavy damage to the cotton crop yield in the district and as well as in the neighboring states. Due to less production, the demand for cotton has become high.

The second largest cotton market in Asia, the district saw the cotton purchases begin as early as October 25. At present, the cotton with 8 per cent moisture content is going for Rs 8,100 per quintal.

In contrast, in the last four days, the Adilabad market yard purchased only about 30,000 quintals due to low support price. CCI is not procuring the cotton this year. Farmers are desisting from sales due to low prices as well as moisture content. Farmers kept cotton stocks at home in the hope that the price would rise further.

Meanwhile, traders from other parts of Maharashtra are going directly to farmers' houses to buy cotton at a discounted price as the farmers could avoid transport burden and brokerage commissions.

Farmers are happy that their hardships will be alleviated as despite fall in this year's yield, the price is ruling high.

Although, the officials had estimated that about 70 lakh quintals would be produced in the erstwhile Adilabad district, due to the bad weather conditions, the produce reduced drastically.

Gali Sudheer, a farmer of Bela mandal, said that he sold 10 quintals of cotton to private traders at Rs 7,500 per quintals and stored 25 quintals cotton expecting hike in the price, in view of rising demand.