Ban on otton exports lands farmers in distress

PRODDATUR: Cotton farmers are worried about getting a good price for their produce, with abrupt decision of Centre to ban cotton export. The ban has jeopardised farmer’s interests, who are alarmed with cotton market price which is already declining and fear that the ban would further push prices down.Not only farmers, but domestic traders are also concerned. The ginning mills, which are under pressure from increased power cuts, too are in a disarray as ban will add to their problem. Cotton is grown in 10,000 acres in the division, including 9,000 acres in Rajupalem mandal and a thousand acres in Proddatur mandal, where farmers switched to cotton, hoping to earn more money. This time around, farmers following decline in price, stored produce in their houses, as there was no other storage facility. They were waiting for the market price to pick up, but with the ban all their hopes have evaporated. The ban will definitely ensure that the prices plummet further.  The cotton price was quite encouraging, in the beginning of season December last, with prices ranging between `3,800 to `4,100 per quintal, but had slid to `3,100-`3,200 now, forcing the farmers to store produce.A farmer said that they have spent around `50,000 per acre on the crop but with prices coming to `3,000 they could get only around `36,000 per acre (with average yield at 12 quintals per acre), causing enormous losses.The closing down of ginning mills, one after another, narrates the plight of cotton farmers. Once there were 25 ginning mills as against 15 mills now, with many closed, unable to face losses. The mills here used to thrive with the cotton from Kurnool, Prakasam, Mahaboonnagar, Rangareddy districts arriving here, after which they were transported to mills in Erode, Madurai, Pollachi, Salem and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The two days a week power cut has really accentuated the problem. Farmer Srinivasulu Reddy of Rajupalem, says that farmers took to cotton this time, keeping in view last year’s cotton price of  `6,000 per quintal, but are now perplexed with the prices coming down to `3,100.