Through its nodal agency, the Cotton Corporation of India Ltd. (CCI), under the Ministry of Textiles, the Government of India has successfully acquired 525 lakh quintals of seed cotton, equivalent to 100 lakh bales, under Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations as of 31st March 2025, for the current cotton season 2024–25. Around 38 per cent of the 263 lakh bales of cotton that are imported and 34 per cent of the projected 294.25 lakh bales of cotton produced in the nation are accounted for by this purchase.
With 40 lakh bales, Telangana has the largest procurement among the states. Maharashtra comes in second with 30 lakh bales, and Gujarat comes in third with 14 lakh bales. Karnataka (5 lakh bales), Madhya Pradesh (4 lakh bales), Andhra Pradesh (4 lakh bales), and Odisha (2 lakh bales) are other states with substantial procurement. Around 1.15 lakh bales are being procured in Punjab, Rajasthan, and Haryana. A total of over 21 lakh cotton farmers in all cotton-producing states have received payments of US $ 4.32 billion (Rs. 37,450 crore).
CCI has established 508 procurement centres across the country to promote effective procurement. On-spot Aadhaar authentication, SMS payment notifications, and 100 per cent direct payments via the National Automated Clearing House (NACH) are just a few of the digital efforts that have been put into place. Farmers can obtain real-time information on MSP rates, procurement centres, and payment monitoring using the Cott-Ally smartphone app, which is accessible in nine regional languages. Additionally, all of CCI’s cotton bales can be tracked via QR codes thanks to blockchain technology, which guarantees accountability and transparency.
