Cotton farmers in Tamil Nadu are unable to benefit from the minimum support prices (SME) of the Indian company Cotton Corporation in India (CCI), because cotton growing is mainly in districts that do not have cotton processing facilities.
The cotton farmer in Tiruvaruru, Ravichandran, said that CCI, which has been entrusted to procure cotton whenever prices dropped under the SME, has not stopped a single kg of cotton in Tamil since 2021. He said he said, ”he said he said he was listed.
Mr. Ravicandran points out that the SMP is not a ceiling, but only the bare minimum price that the farmer must receive. “What is the use of innovation, accepting modern technologies and hard work, if our production is denied this basic support?” He asks.
CCI chairman and CEO Lalit Kumar Gupta said CCI announced nine public procurement centers in Tamil Nadu. However, he is not able to buy cotton from farmers at SMEs. There are two main problems in the state – cotton, which is grown on almost 70,000 hectares, spreads in nearly 19 districts and ginning factories are located 100 to 200 km away. SME operation does not allow the cost of transporting cotton to factories. Transporting costs from the marketing courtyard to the nearest Ginning factory occur at almost 500 GBP per quintal.
The main requirements for the public procurement center are: Cotton cultivation should be at least 3,000 ha in a particular taluc or mandala, and there should be a ginning factory within 20 km, he said.
Andhra Pradesh supported his farmers for transport costs, and the government of Tamil Nadu should also do so in favor of its cotton growers, sources in the cotton sector said. Tamil Nadu produces nearly five parcels of cotton a year.
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Published – August 30, 2025 20:25
