Minister for Marketing and Irrigation T Harish Rao today expressed displeasure at the Centre for ignoring their urge of easing norms with respect to procurement of cotton from Telangana. He also took exception to Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya for his comments with regard to cotton procurement from the farmers in the state and Maharastra government is giving bonus to the cotton farmers, which is wrong. Alleging politics behind Dattatreya talk he said that the union minister is talking without the knowledge of facts he said. Harish Rao deplored that the Centre failed to give 50 per cent of price hike for cotton and is reluctant to give minimum support price of Rs 5000 to cotton and increase of moisture content from 12 to 20 per cent. He also alleged that the union government failed to set up adequate number of cotton purchase centers. As Dattatreya himself stated that 13 per cent of cotton was procured the Centre should ask CCI officials, which is lacking staff, to set up more centers, Harish Rao said. Telangana government is making all efforts to help the farmers by issuing identity cards he said and charged that the CCI failed to procure the cotton from farmers. (NSS)
Centre ignores cotton farmers: Harish
