The Union government has responded favourably to the concerns raised by the cotton farmers from Andhra Pradesh, according to Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu.
In a statement, Mr. Atchannaidu said the Centre had already taken a favourable decision on six crucial recommendations submitted earlier, and three of those were in the implementation stage.
“As a result, longstanding issues in cotton procurement are now moving towards resolution, with procurement centres reopening in phases,” the Minister said.
He, however, said the Cyclone Montha had damaged the quality of cotton in several districts, affecting the crop’s quality standards prescribed by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI).
In this context, the State government had urged the Centre to immediately address three issues — simultaneous activation of ginning mills, procurement of cotton with moisture levels between 12% and 18% with proportionate price deductions, and procurement of rain-affected, or discoloured cotton with appropriate price adjustments.
Mr. Atchannaidu said the State government would continue to pursue the matter until all issues were fully resolved.
