Cotton procurement at RMC mandies begins

Expressbuzz, Dec 6, 2009
BHUBHANESWAR: Under pressure from the district administration, Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has started procurement of cotton from mandies of the Regulated Market Committees (RMCs) at Karlapada and Utkela. Earlier, CCI had announced that it would procure cotton only at the ginning mill complex of Kesinga leading to protests from the farmers and apprehension of exploitation by unscrupulous traders and middlemen. In the second phase of procurement held yesterday at Karlapada, the Corporation bought 2,000 quintals of  cotton seed at Rs 3,000 per quintal and in the first phase on December 1, they had purchased 750 quintals. Though 13 private trading houses attended none participated in the auction. Dhruba Charan Pradhan, a lead cotton grower from Karlapada village, alleged that some of the traders were resorting to unethical practices and once pressure builds up on the CCI, the traders will try to illegally purchase it at the village level at distress prices like last year. District administration should keep a close watch on them, he demanded.  Bhawanipatna RMC secretary Rajkishor Mishra said marketing in the mandies has been streamlined and a close watch will be maintained to ensure that the farmers get proper price. The total area under cotton in Kalahandi district is 18,292 hectares and as per an assessment by the Agriculture Department, the yield may be around 2.2 lakh quintals.