Guntur: Demanding CCI to buy cotton, farmers threaten suicide

Guntur: Dejected by the strict moisture content norms for purchase of cotton imposed by Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), farmers dumped the produce they had brought to sell at Krosuru agriculture market yard in the district on Thursday and threatened to set fire to it as well as immolate themselves if their cotton was not bought. They sat on the road with petrol bottles at AMC and raised slogans demanding purchase of their stocks.

A group of farmers brought cotton from Grandhasiri village to sell at the yard. However, officials at CCI counters in the yard refused to buy the stock citing the norm that they could buy the cotton with moisture content up to only 18 per cent. When the officials rejected the cotton stocks, the farmers resorted to the agitation by sitting on a dharna demanding justice.

Pedakurapadu MLA Namburu Sankara Rao who rushed to the spot pacified the farmers. He said the CCI would purchase cotton up to 18 per cent moisture content according to norms.