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‘Cotton being sold below MSP’, Khudian seeks CCI intervention
Addressing the media here, Khudian said against the MSP of ₹7,710 per quintal, farmers are receiving in the range of ₹5,600-5,800 a quintal in mandis.
With the cotton crop being sold “below” the minimum support price (MSP) in the state, Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Wednesday sought the intervention of the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to intervene in the market to ensure farmers get the right price for their crop.
Addressing the media here, Khudian said against the MSP of ₹7,710 per quintal, farmers are receiving in the range of ₹5,600-5,800 a quintal in mandis.
The minister said despite a 20% increase in area under cotton cultivation due to the Punjab government’s initiatives under the crop diversification drive, farmers are now facing despair due to the CCI’s conspicuous absence.
Expressing concern over the Centre’s “failure” to fulfil its promise of MSP for cotton farmers, the minister questioned whether the crop is here. “The farmers are here. But where is the CCI?,” he asked.
He said the state government’s 33% subsidy on hybrid cotton seeds and other proactive measures resulted in a significant 20% increase in cotton cultivation, from around 99,000 hectares in 2024 to 1.19 lakh hectares this year.
He emphasised that farmers, who invested their savings and labour based on the MSP announced by the Centre, are now being forced into distress sales to meet financial needs. He urged the CCI to intervene in the market so that farmers get the right price for their crop.
