Adilabad Cotton Farmers in Suffer as Prices Plummet, Appeal for Government Aid

Following a sharp decline in prices, cotton farmers are a disillusioned group as many had stored cotton in their homes rather than selling it in the hope of getting a good price. From a strong Rs 9,000 in November, cotton prices have plummeted to Rs 7,260 today.

It is estimated that over three lakh quintals of cotton are still with farmers in the Adilabad district. Since they had made sizable investments in Kharif, they have pleaded with the state and federal governments to intervene and save them. Private traders said that in their desperation, cotton farmers might sell their produce at a cheaper price now than wait.

In the current Adilabad district, cotton is grown on just under 4 lakh acres, compared to over 15 lahks in the previous Adilabad district.

In the past two months, a lot of farmers have stopped selling their cotton in the market, hoping for a price that will reach Rs 10,000 per quintal. They have been disappointed, though.

While many stored the produce, some farmers sold it to private traders from Maharashtra as they came to purchase directly from farmers.

Farmers in Talamadugu Mandal, according to K. Raju, have been suffering for the past five months. When commercial operations commenced, private traders from Adilabad offered Rs 9,000, but the price has since experienced a significant decline.

After all, farmers sell their cotton to private cotton traders, he claimed, prices will rise.

Reference: www.deccanchronicle.com