Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the Cotton Corporation of India to start cotton procurement in Tamil Nadu. He also requested him to direct the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to make the Kharif Minimum Support Price (MSP) for cotton effective henceforth from June 1 in the State in the coming years.
In a letter, Mr. Stalin highlighted the plight of the cotton farmers due to the steep fall in cotton prices during the ongoing harvest season. Though the previous year proved to be highly profitable for the cotton farmers, as they sold cotton at ₹12,000 a quintal, they found themselves in a difficult situation as the prices plummeted to ₹5,500 a quintal.
Tamil Nadu has two unique seasons for cotton: rice fallow and summer-irrigated wherein the sowing is done in February-March and the harvest begins in the first week of June. Cotton has been raised on around 84,000 acres in these two seasons. “With the harvest of rice fallow cotton in full swing, there have been pleas from Tamil Nadu farmers to invite the Cotton Corporation of India to start its procurement in Tamil Nadu and to advance the adherence of Kharif MSP for cotton to June 1 every year in view of the cotton prices falling to ₹5,500 per quintal,” he said.
The MSP fixed by the Central government played a crucial role in stabilising the prices of agricultural commodities, the Chief Minister pointed out. The procurement operations of the Cotton Corporation of India at MSP in the past few years in Tamil Nadu have been immensely helpful in stabilising the cotton prices. Recently, the Government of India has fixed the MSP of medium staple cotton at ₹6,620 per quintal and long staple cotton at ₹7,020 per quintal for 2023-24, with an increase of ₹540 and ₹640 per quintal respectively over the previous year.
While thankfully recalling the support rendered by the Prime Minister in advancing the MSP for paddy by one month last year when the Kuruvai paddy season was advanced by a month, the Chief Minister further requested Mr. Modi to direct the Cotton Corporation of India to commence cotton procurement in Tamil Nadu and to direct the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to make the Kharif MSP for cotton effective from June 1 henceforth in Tamil Nadu in the coming years.
“This gesture will provide the much-needed relief to the distressed cotton growers in the State by stabilizing prices and ensuring fair income for their produce,” Mr. Stalin said. A copy of the letter was shared with the media.
