Amidst the lockdown, cotton procurement still continues in Maharashtra! A total of 36,500 quintals of Kapas (6,900 bales) were procured during the lockdown period.
It is imperative to note that Maharashtra contributes around 21 per cent in India’s total cotton production, which is highest after Gujarat.
As per official details, such operations are continuing at 34 centres in Maharashtra; around 77.40 per cent of total Kapas produced in Maharashtra had already arrived in the markets and were sold till 25 March 2020.
Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) had already procured 91.90 lakh quintals of Kapas equivalent to 18.66 lakh bales of cotton valuing Rs. 4,995 crore from cotton farmers in Maharashtra through 83 centres.
Out of total procurement value, a sum of Rs. 4,987 crore has already reached the farmers.
The procurement is regulated by the state Agricultural Produce & Livestock Market Committee (APMCs) and 27 centres are coming under red zones as identified by the District administration wherein procurement is expected to pick up after 3 May 2020.
In remaining 22 centres, the State Government has been approached by the CCI for the issue of passes/tokens to farmers to bring Kapas and the matter is being constantly monitored by the Ministry of Textiles through daily status reports on the arrival of farmers & Kapas procurement in the APMCs.
The Ministry of Textiles reassures the farmers that the CCI along with its agent, the Maharashtra State Cotton Growers’ Marketing Federation Ltd., is well geared and ready to implement the Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations of the Government of India in the State of Maharashtra.
Earlier there were media reports that over 2 lakh farmers in Maharashtra sit on piles of unsold cotton due to COVID-19
Till 25 March 2020, around 77.40 per cent of total Kapas produced in Maharashtra had arrived in the markets and sold to CCI and private traders. At the time of lockdown, around 22.60 per cent of the cotton was yet to arrive. Out of this outstanding Kapas, it is estimated that around 40 to 50 per cent of Kapas valuing approximately Rs. 2,100 crore may be of FAQ grade and growers may wish to avail of MSP rates due to traders not offering better price in view of the pandemic situation.
The necessary coordination of the CCI with the officials of the Government of Maharashtra is being done through frequent conferences for troubleshooting of emerging issues. The Textiles Ministry has also issued an advisory to the Government of Maharashtra to make appropriate arrangements in APMCs for facilitating access to the cotton farmers to avoid distress selling.