Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao said negligence by both the Union and Telangana governments had deepened the cotton procurement crisis. He urged the Centre to intervene immediately to ease farmer distress.
He argued that lakhs of growers could not sell their crop while administrations “remained in deep slumber.” He said nearly 50 lakh acres were under cotton this year, yet official urgency was missing.
KTR criticised the Cotton Corporation of India for refusing procurement over moisture norms and Kapas Mobile App glitches. He also flagged alleged irregularities in ginning mills and grading that, he said, hurt prices.
According to him, these hurdles denied farmers the Minimum Support Price of Rs. 8,110 per quintal. He noted open-market rates of Rs. 6,000–7,000, implying losses of about Rs. 2,000 per quintal.
He stated that CCI had purchased only 1.12 lakh tonnes so far against a seasonal projection of 28.29 lakh tonnes. He called this a clear sign of a widening cotton procurement crisis.
He said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had visited Delhi several times but had not raised the issue effectively. He added that MPs from both Congress and BJP had failed to mount pressure on the Centre.
Centre, State urged to act on cotton procurement crisis
KTR demanded that the Telangana government send a delegation to Delhi and draw up an action plan to press the Union government. He recalled that former chief minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao had stepped in during earlier crises to secure relief.
He said signalled inaction had left farmer incomes vulnerable and market arrivals uneven. He argued that quick procurement, transparent grading, and app fixes could stabilise prices and restore confidence.