Cogencis, Monday, Dec 8 (Source: Cogencis)
By Nishant Parekh
MUMBAI - A respite for Maharashtra's cotton farmers, who have been combating low prices for some time now, is unlikely for the time being as the government has no plans of announcing a bonus over and above the minimum support price for
cotton growers, government officials said today.
B.K. Mishra, chairman of the state-owned Cotton Corp of India--the nodal procuring agency--denied any plans of announcing a bonus over the minimum support price to cotton growers in Maharashtra. "No bonus on cotton MSP has been announced by the government as of now. No meetings have been scheduled to discuss the same for the near term as well,"
Mishra told Cogencis.
The market has been rife with talks that the Maharashtra state government has announced a 600-rupee-per-100 kg bonus over and above the minimum support price to help farmers who have been battling low prices.
"It (market talk) is false. There is no bonus announced as of now. If 600 rupees per 100 kg bonus is announced, then cotton from states such as Punjab, Haryana, and also from Gujarat will come to Maharashtra," another senior official from Cotton Corp said.
The government-approved minimum support price of cotton is 4,050 rupees per 100 kg for the long staple variety and 3,750 rupees for the medium staple for this season. On Sunday, state Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse had said the government
would announce bonus, if at all, in the House.
The government has been under tremendous pressure to provide aid to cotton farmers in wake of low prices, and various states, including Maharashtra, have been lobbying for a bonus over and above the MSP announced.
Farmers from Gujarat's Saurashtra region have sought 200-400-rupees per 20 kg hike in minimum support price for cotton and groundnut, local farmer body, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh had said in a statement last week. End- (Source: Cogencis)