Telangana Government's nudge to spur global demand for cotton

Hyderabad: Telangana government is all set to promote the quality cotton produced in the State as a global brand and increase its demand worldwide. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao disclosed that the cotton produced in the State is of a very high quality and it is one of the regions in the world, where high-quality cotton is produced.

The cotton staple grown in Telangana State is the lengthiest and its hardness is also high in the country, KCR directed the officials concerned to build a brand image for the high-quality cotton being produced in the State to increase its demand globally. He also directed them to prepare a strategy for publicising the special qualities of the cotton grown in the State. To this, he wanted the agriculture department to hold a conference with all the experts and specialists.

The CM also wanted proper instructions to be given to the cotton growers on how to clean the cotton picked from the fields and later packaging it with proper caution. This way, it would increase the demand internationally, he opined. The Chief Minister further said that proper care should be taken so that there would not be any dust, rubbish particles and soil in the cotton that is picked.

"Telangana is the second State that is growing more cotton in the country. In Telangana, cotton is cultivated in about 60 lakh acres. Cotton yields are good when cultivated through irrigated water. Since many projects are constructed in Telangana, there is an adequate availability of water for irrigation. Hence, if the cotton is grown under the canals, it would be beneficial," KCR said.

The Chief Minister also said that new methods have come in for the cotton cultivation and new varieties of seeds are also available for the growers. There are seeds which can produce one-time pick cotton. They should be cultivated in Telangana State, he suggested. Farmers are also following the government policy and cultivating as per the regulated cultivation methods. There is a lot of demand in the market for cotton, pluses and oilseeds, the CM said.

Cultivate vegetable more. Increase cultivation of Red Gram to 20 lakh acres and Oil Palm to 8 lakh acres, directed the Telangana Chief Minister.