Supply position will meet demand for cotton: ICF

Indian Cotton Federation (ICF) Sunday expressed hope that the supply position would be able to meet the demand for cotton at the current spindlage in mills and prices would remain steady as of now.

In view of normal monsoon, higher realisation compared to other cash crops, increase in Minimum Support Price, the farmers have shown more interest in cotton for the year 2018-2019.

However, due to pink boll worm and pest attacks the volume of crop could be around 360 to 380 lakh bales (of 170 KG), ICF President J Thulasidharan said at ICF's 39th Annual General Meeting held here.

"However, we need to leave a chance to other happenings in Agro climatic conditions," he noted.

Thulasidharan also highlighted the requirements of the cotton sector such as standardisation of packing and need for bar coding cotton bales, and to improve irrigation system by using better conservative method, among others.

Cotton being the seasonal crop, liberal finance at marginal interest should be made available through warehouse funding system by banking agencies, he said.

Thulasidharan was re-elected as president of the federation for 2018-19.

While P Nataraj and K N Vishwanathan were re-elected as vice presidents, Atul P Asher was re-elected as Secretary of the federation.