NAGPUR: State farm distress task force chairman Kishore Tiwari has now sought the intervention of the Central government to ensure that farmers are not forced to sell cotton and soyabean below the government-determined minimum support price (MSP).
Tiwari said he had written a letter to the Prime Minister's Officer (PMO), seeking urgent intervention in distress sale of the two main cash crops of Vidarbha. While MSP of cotton is Rs4,320 a quintal, private traders are buying cotton at around Rs3,500, and soyabean at around Rs2,300, much below its MSP of Rs3,050, said Tiwari.
"For at least last five years, open market prices of both cotton and soya were over or at least around the MSP. But this year, private traders are fleecing farmers and paying them far less than the MSP. Cultivators in urgent need of cash have no option but to sell at distress rates. More so, adequate purchase centres have not been opened by official agencies, which purchase at the MSP," said Tiwari.
Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), and NAFED are the Central agencies tasked with procurement of cotton and soya respectively. "If they are present in markets and start purchasing, why would farmers go to traders, who are citing wet produce and bearishness as excuses for lower rates," said Tiwari.
The task force head had earlier urged the state government to pay at least Rs500 as bonus above the MSP to cotton farmers on the lines of that offered by Gujarat government, to reduce losses. "Farmers have lost a good chunk of crop to bollworm infestation, and have also suffered because of illegal BT and poisonous pesticides sold openly in the market. The government should bail out farmers now," said Tiwari.
Tiwari said he had written a letter to the Prime Minister's Officer (PMO), seeking urgent intervention in distress sale of the two main cash crops of Vidarbha. While MSP of cotton is Rs4,320 a quintal, private traders are buying cotton at around Rs3,500, and soyabean at around Rs2,300, much below its MSP of Rs3,050, said Tiwari.
"For at least last five years, open market prices of both cotton and soya were over or at least around the MSP. But this year, private traders are fleecing farmers and paying them far less than the MSP. Cultivators in urgent need of cash have no option but to sell at distress rates. More so, adequate purchase centres have not been opened by official agencies, which purchase at the MSP," said Tiwari.
Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), and NAFED are the Central agencies tasked with procurement of cotton and soya respectively. "If they are present in markets and start purchasing, why would farmers go to traders, who are citing wet produce and bearishness as excuses for lower rates," said Tiwari.
The task force head had earlier urged the state government to pay at least Rs500 as bonus above the MSP to cotton farmers on the lines of that offered by Gujarat government, to reduce losses. "Farmers have lost a good chunk of crop to bollworm infestation, and have also suffered because of illegal BT and poisonous pesticides sold openly in the market. The government should bail out farmers now," said Tiwari.
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