Bathinda: With 15 days into the official start of the cotton crop procurement in Punjab, farmers are still waiting for the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to start making purchases at a minimum support price (MSP). This is despite the fact that nearly 90,000 quintals of crop arrived in the purchase centres in Punjab by the evening of October 14. In the absence of purchases by the CCI, private traders are making purchases, and many of these are well below the MSP.
So far, 50% of the crop has been purchased below the MSP in the state. The cotton has been fetched for as low as Rs 3,000 per quintal during the ongoing season (though only a small quantity fetched this low price), while the maximum price has been recorded at Rs 7,720 per quintal. The MSP for medium staple is Rs 7,710 per quintal, while Rs 8,110 per quintal is for long staple. Normally, cotton of 27.5-28.5mm staple was grown in the state, for which the MSP is Rs 8,010 per quintal.
CCI has introduced an app from the 2025-26 season for transparency, naming it the Kapas Kisan app, making it mandatory for cotton purchases. Many farmers are struggling to register on the Aadhar-based registration app, due to which CCI is away from making purchases.
As per the data procured from the Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board (PSAMB), 89,209 quintals of cotton arrived in mandis till October 14, out of which 88,991 quintals have been purchased, and 44,368 quintals have been purchased below the MSP. The cotton has been grown on 1.19 lakh hectares (2.97 lakh acres) in Punjab, out of which the crop in nearly 30,000 acres is learnt to have been damaged due to floods. Last year, cotton was grown in 99,700 hectares.
Farmers are required to upload valid land records and details of cotton sowing areas certified by revenue or agriculture authorities. Farmers could go for self-registration on their mobiles. The CCI informed all the Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) across the state on August 21 about the new digital registration process. Initially, the registration was to be done by September 30, but it was extended to October 31.
Farmer Karnail Singh from Khuia Sarwar area in Fazilka said, "We are finding it extremely difficult to register on the Kapas Kisan app because fresh girdwari reports of the area under cotton have to be uploaded. We want the CCI to make purchases as previously and waive registration this year due to floods." Officials from CCI, not wanting to be named, said the corporation is ready to make purchases with moisture content up to 12%, but farmers must register through the Kapas Kisan app, and the records need to be verified by the officials of the state govt.
