Farm activist seeks Rs 1,000/quintal bonus for cotton growers

NAGPUR: Farm activist and Shetkari Sanghatana founder member Vijay Javandhiya has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that the latter announce during his Nagpur visit a bonus of Rs1000 to

cotton

growers over and above the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs5,550 a quintal.

In his letter to Modi, Javandhiya states hopes of Indian farmer gaining from ongoing US-China trade war have been dashed. China was expected to increase imports of cotton and soyabean from India but that did not happen. To add to cotton growers’ woes, there is a global slowdown and poor demand in US market this year.

Javandhiya has pointed out that not only exports of cotton bales from India had fallen, the imports have soared this year to a historic high of 30 lakh bales. Even cotton fibre export from India had dipped though Vietnam and Bangladesh have registered rise in exports to China, he said.

According to Javandhiya, currently cotton prices in the country are at a high of Rs40,500 a khandi (comprising two bales, each weighing 170kg) while in the US rates are low at approximately Rs37,700. Javandhiya contended that when the fresh cotton crop arrived in the market, private traders would not be in a position to buy at MSP. The government agency Cotton Corporation of India may also not start procurement as it is already saddled with unsold stock of 8 lakh bales.

Javandhiya reminded Modi that just before Gujarat state elections, the government there had announced a bonus of Rs500 a quintal. “On the same lines, I urge you to declare Rs1,000 bonus in Maharashtra so the distressed cotton growers of the region get Rs6,550 a quintal price in all,” said the farm activist.