Piqued over CCI’s harsh norms, cotton association calls for bandh

 ADILABAD: Although the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has declared a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 8,110 per quintal, farmers are receiving only around Rs 6,500 in the market due to moisture content restrictions.

In Adilabad district, where cotton is cultivated across 4.36 lakh acres, farmers are facing severe losses this year.

CCI has imposed strict rules: if the moisture content exceeds 12%, procurement is denied and farmers’ loads are sent back. Some farmers wait at market yards, drying their cotton in hope, while others—left with no choice—sell to private traders at lower prices, sinking deeper into losses.

Farmers complain that while CCI formally sets up procurement centers, it washes its hands off after symbolic purchases, and elected representatives remain indifferent. Officials claim cotton is being transported to ginning mills, but in reality, only a few mills have been granted permission, leaving many mills non-operational.

Under new CCI rules, mills are categorised as level 1 and level 2. In Adilabad, several mills have not yet begun procurement, forcing farmers to transport cotton only to approved mills, increasing costs and hardships. Farmers lament that waiting in long queues for sales adds to their troubles. They demand that procurement be organised in shifts to ease both farmers’ and millers’ problems.

Meanwhile, private traders are also frustrated. Even though some mills have been recognised by CCI, they remain closed, leading traders to prepare for protests. Farmers using the “Kisan App” face difficulties too—poor signals prevent tenant farmers from booking slots, leaving them unable to sell. Traders criticize CCI’s restrictions as unfair.

Opposing CCI’s unilateral decisions, the Telangana State Cotton Association has announced that cotton procurement at ginning mills will be indefinitely suspended from Tuesday. Association representatives stated that granting permissions to only a few mills while restricting others has forced them to stop purchases statewide.

Private ginning traders warned that if the state government does not respond, they will launch protests. If mills remain shut due to the bandh call, cotton farmers are likely to face even greater hardships in the market.