Minister for Agriculture S. Niranjan Reddy has suggested farmers again to cultivate cotton on a large scale during the kharif (Vanakalam) season, stating that there is very good demand at the international level for cotton produced in Telangana.
In spite of repeated appeals made to farmers before kharif season, cotton was cultivated in only about 46.43 lakh acres in 2021 against 60.18 lakh acres in 2020, he said. Cotton was commanding a very good price in the market now in the range of ₹9,000-₹10,000 per quintal against MSP of ₹6,025 per quintal (long staple) as cultivation was not on the expected level globally.
Speaking at Rythu Bandhu celebrations organised at Alair in Yadadri-Bhongir district on Friday, he said there would be good demand for cotton globally in the years to come and the farmers could go for it without any hesitation. As the State government had been providing water for irrigation as also investment support of ₹5,000 per acres for taking up cultivation for both the seasons, the farmers could take up cotton and other crops having good demand in the market, he noted.
Recollecting how the UN-FAO, economists and agricultural experts had termed the Rythu Bandhu scheme a game changer, Mr. Nirajan Reddy said it was a historic moment that over ₹50,000 crore had been given as grant to farmers in eight seasons as investment support.
