Cotton farmers have a reason to smile

Cotton farmers have a reason to smile
With CCI entering market, they hope to get good price for their yield
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 11
The entry of the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) in the market has brought a smile on the faces of cotton growers as they are assuming it to be a sign of accelerating competition among the purchasers.
Notably, finding the prices of white gold (cotton) to be much higher than the minimum support price (MSP), the CCI has entered at the commercial level, which means its officials would also purchase the crop competing with the private buyers.
The CCI has shortlisted 22 purchase centres throughout the state. It is worth mentioning that all the 22 purchase centres are in the Malwa belt.
Seeking anonymity, an official posted at the state office of the CCI in Bathinda, informed that Bathinda, Goniana, Bhuccho, Sangat, Rama Mandi, Maur, Rampura, Mansa, Sardulgarh, Budhladha, Bareta, Barnala, Tapa, Lehragaga, Sunam, Kotkapura, Jaitu, Muktsar, Malout, Gidderbaha, Fazilka and Abohar are the purchase centres, which have been selected for the purpose.
However, the official mentioned that the CCI had just planned and not finalized whether it would purchase from all centres or not, as all would depend upon the economic viability.
According to details collected, the CCI officials had started purchase from the Maur purchase centre of Bathinda district, where they bought about 500 quintals of cotton on Saturday and about 400 quintals on Monday.
Being one of the competitors, the CCI has purchased the crop on prices varying from Rs 3600-Rs 4310 per quintal and the officials calculate an average of about Rs 4310 per quintal.
When asked about the ceiling level of price and quantity of the purchase, the CCI officials said it would keep varying everyday and they would just implement the decision coming from the national headquarters at Mumbai.
During a visit to various cotton markets of the district, The Tribune today observed that the private buyers were purchasing the crop at prices varying from Rs 4100-Rs 4360 per quintal.
However, sources in the Mandi Board informed that an unusual jump in the price was recorded on Saturday, when some buyer purchased a heap of white gold (cotton) at the rate of Rs 4560 per quintal, which had surprised all.