Farmers seek increase in support price for cotton

Not satisfied with the government's decision to raise the minimum support price (MSP) of cotton, farmers in Gujarat have threatened to intensify their agitation.

Over 6000 cotton weavers of Rajkot collected half a pot of blood and propose to send it to chief minister Narendra Modi to register their protest against the government's failure to check falling prices of cotton.

"By giving their blood, the farmers want to send a signal to the chief minister that he is drinking their blood. The state lacks purchase outlets," said Dhirubhai Bhimani, president, Khedut Sangram Samity.

"Farmers in the state are getting 200 to 250 less per quintal in comparison with those in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The rise in cost of inputs had necessitated a higher support price," added Sidharth Patel, a local Congress leader.

The Union textiles ministry recently raised the MSP for cotton by Rs 20 to 25 a quintal.

While farmers in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh get between Rs 500 to Rs 550 per quintal of cotton, their Gujarat counterparts get Rs 350.

The ministry also directed the Cotton Corporation of India Limited (CCIL) to purchase whenever the price of cotton touches the minimum support price.

With the delayed but abundant monsoon, cotton productivity has gone up by over 25 per cent as compared with last year. This has led to a fall in prices of the commodity.

Modi has send a letter to the prime minister Manmohan Singh stating the need to raise the support price for cotton. Gujarat accounts for over 30 per cent of the cotton production in the country.

A CCIL official said: "The corporation has ensured that cotton growers get the right prices for their produce. We are undertaking purchasing operations as and when the price of cotton touches the MSP, which is higher by over Rs 20 for different varieties of cotton as compared with last year."

According to the CCIL, in Gujarat, the corporation has made eleborate arrangements for cotton procurement by hiring factories and posting field staff well in advance.

It has opened 31 purchase centres under the Ahmedabad branch office and 15 centres under the Rajkot office in this season.