High moisture content leaves cotton growers worried in some Indian States

Cotton farmers in Telangana are a worried lot as market prices for the commodity fell below the minimum support price (MSP) in several yards. However, Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), which takes care of MSP operations for the fibre crop, said moisture content has been very high in States such as Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

“They are reducing the prices just like that saying the moisture in our produce is way higher than the stipulated levels,” Lakshan Reddy (name changed), a farmer in Warangal district, told businessline.

Hit by bouts of floods and heavy rains, even in the third week of October, farmers are left with wet cotton bolls. In some cases, the harvested cotton too turned damp, or even drenched, increasing the moisture content. “The moisture content should be in the range of 8-12 per cent. If it is more it is difficult for us to accept. In some instances, moisture content is up to 20-25 per cent. Farmers should dry it before getting their produce to the procurement centres,” Lalit Kumar Gupta, Chairman and MD of CCI, told businessline.

The arrivals in the marketyards are yet to gain momentum due to the back-to-back festive seasons. On Monday, the yards in the country witnessed arrivals of 90,000 bales, taking the total to 12 lakh bales so far in the current procurement season.

Earlier, speaking to electronic media, Cotton Association of India President Atul Ganatra said his association has written to Textile Minister Giriraj Singh requesting that CCI procure cotton having up to 18 per cent moisture. This could be of big help to farmers during the Diwali festival.

Ganatra said continuous rain over the past fortnight has resulted in excess moisture in the crop picked by farmers. “It is not the farmers’ mistake. They cannot store cotton in their house. They are forced to sell cotton between ₹3,000 and ₹6,000 a quintal, far below the MSP,” he said.

The CCI said as-on-date arrivals are about 4 lakh bales lower than last year. It, however, is confident that arrivals would gain momentum after a week. “We expect the moisture problem will go soon by then as rains have stopped and sunny days are back,” Gupta said.

BRS alleges neglect

The Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has accused the Telangana Government for neglecting cotton farmers, and not doing enough to ensure they receive remunerative prices. “It promised to give a bonus of ₹500 a quintal but they end up selling their produce at lower prices due to a lack of government support,” BRS Working President K T Rama Rao said.

Telangana Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao asked the farmers to dry their harvest before selling it. 

Many farmers are receiving prices below the minimum support price with some even reporting prices as low as ₹6,000-6,500 per quintal. This discrepancy between the government’s stated intentions and the farmers’ experiences is causing significant distress in the farming community, traders said

The government has fixed the MSP for medium staple cotton at ₹7,121 per quintal and for long staple cotton at ₹7,521 per quintal for the 2024-25 cotton season. The prices, however, vary depending on the moisture content.

“Every procurement centre has a moisture measuring machine. Farmers can test the moisture content themselves. Out of the 200 cotton vehicles that arrived in Adilabad on Friday, about 90 vehicles came with higher moisture content. Only less than 10 per cent of them have cotton with under 12 per cent moisture,” CCI’s Gupta said.

The CCI issued an advisory to farmers in the cotton-growing States. Traders are allegedly quoting lower rates, citing change in colour of cotton and high moisture content. Seeing the depressed market, some farmers have decided to wait for a few days. “I’m going to wait for 3-4 days more. Hope that the situation improves,” Lakshman, who grew cotton in 3 acres, said.