Hyderabad: Marketing & Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao today instructed officials to prepare an action plan for Cotton purchase for coming season in 2018-19. Harish Rao asked them to make use of 41 market yards as purchase centers with all measures by October 1.
The minister discussed the issue with CCI and other officials on the need for procuring cotton produce by taking necessary measures of providing required machinery, computers and software and others. Harish Rao discussed that cotton and ginning mills did not attend the tenders called by CCI officials. He earlier wrote a letter to the Centre to ease norms and procure more cotton with MSP. “We can procure more cotton through CCI by reducing the quantity of cotton extracted from the produce from 33 per cent to 31.5 per cent”, he said.
“The Centre has offered Rs 5,450 per quintal to procure cotton and the CCI and other officials have to take immediate steps for procuring the cotton produce. Make use of the existing 41 market yards as purchase centers by October 1”, the minister said and asked the officials to ensure MSP to the cotton and help benefit the farmers.
The CCI officials said they have called tenders for 31.5 per cent extraction of cotton from the produce to benefit the farming community.
When the minister asked them to take steps as per the wishes of the cotton and ginning mills, the CCI officials informed him that they will soon conduct a special meeting in Mumbai and sort out the issue.
[source_without_link]NSS[/source_without_link]