Ginners in Gujarat pip CCI in cotton procurement

Unlike Punjab, where the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has procured 90 per cent of the crop produced in the state, ginners in Gujarat have pipped the state-run agency by offering farmers more than the minimum support price (MSP).

CCI Chairman and Managing Director S C Grover said, “Procurement is less as ginners are paying above MSP.” He, however, was confident that CCI would buy more as arrival picks up in the coming days.

Most of the 1,000-odd ginners in Gujarat have been aggressively buying cotton directly from farmers, luring them with more than the MSP of Rs 2,800 a quintal for medium staple variety. But farmers are getting Rs 2,850 a quintal for Shankar-6 variety, which is produced in the state in large quantities.

“Farmers are selling cotton to us. Even Rs 50 a quintal extra is enough for farmers to divert to ginners,” said Dharshatbhai Patel, owner of a ginner near Dhawat village. Over 75 per cent of cotton produced in Gujarat comes from Saurashtra, Kutch, North and Central parts of the state. Ginners have remained active in these areas for procuring the crop, harvesting for which is in full swing.