Centre pays Rs 37,450 crore to farmers for cotton procured at MSP
The Central government has, through its nodal agency, the Cotton Corporation of India Ltd (CCI), successfully procured 525 lakh quintals of seed cotton, equivalent to 100 lakh bales, under Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations during the current marketing season up to March 31 this year, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Textiles on Tuesday. In total, Rs 37,450 crore has been paid directly into the accounts of approximately 21 lakh cotton farmers across all cotton producing states, the statement said. The procurement accounts for 38 per cent of the total cotton arrivals of 263 lakh bales and 34 per cent of the estimated total cotton production of 294.25 lakh bales in the country. Among the states, Telangana has recorded the highest procurement at 40 lakh bales, followed by Maharashtra with 30 lakh bales, and Gujarat with 14 lakh bales. Other states with significant procurement include Karnataka (5 lakh bales), Madhya Pradesh (4 lakh bales), Andhra Pradesh (4 lakh bales), and Odisha (2 lakh bales). Procurement in Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab stands at 1.15 lakh bales. The MSP mechanism continues to provide remunerative prices to cotton farmers, protecting them from distress sales when market prices fall below the MSP. To facilitate efficient procurement, the CCI has opened 508 procurement centres nationwide. Several digital initiatives have been implemented, including on-spot Aadhaar authentication, SMS notifications for payments and 100 per cent direct payments through the National Automated Clearing House (NACH), the statement said. The Cott-Ally mobile app, available in nine regional languages, enables farmers to access real-time information on MSP rates, procurement centres, and payment tracking. Further, all cotton bales produced by CCI are traceable via QR codes, by using blockchain technology to ensure transparency and accountability, the statement said. The Cotton Corporation of India Ltd, which functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textiles, has been directed to safeguard the interests of cotton farmers through a fair, transparent, and efficient procurement process.
