Nagarkurnool: Issuing of tokens to cotton farmers from today

Nagarkurnool: District Collector E Sridhar, while taking part in a review programme with the cotton farmers, agriculture department officials, Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) and marketing authorities of Nagarkurnool district, assured that the CCI centres would continue to work until the cotton brought by all farmers was procured. However, the Collector urged the farmers to obtain prior tokens and produce the same to the concerned CCI authorities when their turn comes.

Addressing the officials, the Collector said that in all the four Assembly constituencies of Nagarkurnool district, the government had set up seven CCI cotton procurement centres and all these centres would be kept open until all the cotton produced by the farmers was procured. "It has come to our notice that some farmers are expressing concern that their cotton produce may not be procured by the CCI. There is no need to have any doubts in this regard as we have directed the CCI, marketing and agricultural department authorities to procure all the cotton brought by the farmers in the district. However, the farmers must make sure they get prior tokens from the concerned authorities," observed the Collector.

Soon after the setting up of the CCI centres, the government has procured about 1.32 lakh tonnes of cotton in Nagarkurnool district. However, the district administration is expecting to procure more cotton in the coming up days and accordingly it is drafting plans for the same. "So far, we have procured more than 1.32 lakh quintals of cotton in the district in the past two-three months. However, we have set the target of procuring about 3.47 lakh tonnes in the coming up days and an action plan for the same is also charted out," informed E Sridhar.

To facilitate the cotton farmers and to ensure no farmer faces any hurdles to bring cotton to CCI centres, the District Collector has directed the Agriculture Extension Officer of Nagarkurnool to issue prior tokens to farmers to sell their cotton produce at the cotton mills located in their respective mandals. "We have received instructions from the District Collector to issue tokens to the farmers to take their cotton produce to the local mills in their proximity. This will help farmers to avoid the hassle of taking the cotton to CCI centres, and facilitate them to easily sell off their cotton and get the payment from the CCI," said Singireddy, Agriculture Extension Officer of Nagarkurnool district.

To this effect, the agriculture department officials will issue tokens to all the cotton farmers from Thursday. The farmers whoever receive tokens will be given clear details of date and time of bringing their cotton produce to the CCI centres. The farmers who are having tokens would be given first priority. "All cotton farmers must collect their tokens from the respective local mandal agriculture extension officers from 10 am to 1.30 pm from December 19, 2019," informed the Collector.

The farmers are advised to bring their Aadhaar card, land passbook, bank passbook both original and photocopies and produce the same to the agriculture officials for crosschecking and for awarding the tokens.