NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday launched a scathing attack against Centre accusing it of "secretly removing" the 11 per cent of import duty on cotton coming from US.
In a press conference held in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, former Delhi chef minister said that the decision has pushed the farmers of the country into deep crisis.
"Our cotton-growing farmers sold their cotton in June-July. To plant the next crop, they took loans to buy seeds, fertilizers, and pay for labor. They planted their crops with this borrowed money, and their harvest will be ready by October-November. The farmer believes that in October, when his crop is ready, he will get a fair price for it in the market. But he doesn’t know how the Modi government at the Center has betrayed our farmers," kejriwal said.
"Earlier, there was an 11% import duty on cotton coming from the US, which made American cotton more expensive than the cotton grown in India. However, since August 19, this 11% duty has been removed. As a result, American cotton will now be 15 to 20 rupees per kilo cheaper compared to Indian cotton, which means our country’s cotton will not sell. Now god forbid, our farmers will be left with no option but to commit suicide," he added.
This follows after the ministry of finance has removed the import duty on cotton till September 30, benefiting the textile industry and cotton imports.
The move is aimed at ensuring adequate availability of cotton for the domestic textile industry, according to a ministry of finance press release. It also stated that further notifications will follow.
The release noted, "To augment availability of cotton for the Indian textile sector, the Central Government had temporarily exempted the import duty on cotton from 19th August 2025 till 30th September 2025. In order to support exporters further, the Central Government has decided to extend the import duty exemption on cotton (HS 5201) from 30th September 2025 till 31st December 2025."
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