Lift ban on cotton exports: CM to Centre

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy today requested the Centre to remove restriction on exports of cotton immediately to ensure that farmers get remunerative prices for their produce. He also wanted the Centre to permit export of 15 lakh cotton bales in addition to the 55 lakh cotton bales exported in March this year.In separate letters to Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and Union textiles minister Dayanidhi Maran, the chief minister said cotton crop was sown in an area of 17.32 lakh hectares in the state but most of the crop was damaged due to rains in November-December last year. As a result, farmers lost a substantial income and got prices much below the minimum support price (MSP) due to moisture content and blackening of seed. “By relaxing ban in March and permitting export 55 lakh bales, farmers got remunerative prices between Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per quintal against the MSP of Rs 3,000,” he recalled.The chief minister said that about 25 per cent of the cotton produced is still lying with the farmers and currently, they are unable to sell it even for Rs 2,700 per quintal. He feared that the stocks will go waste and farmers will incur huge losses.