NEW DELHI, MAR. 11
Panabaaka Lakshmi, who assumed additional charge as Minister of State for Textiles last week, said she would meet cotton growers, especially from Andhra Pradesh, to address issues faced by them and ensure they get the right price for the crop. Lakshmi, who is also the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, is a Congress leader from Andhra Pradesh and was State Textiles Minister before the Cabinet reshuffle of 2012.
“After discussions with my officers, definitely I will be discussing it (problems) with cotton growers from Andhra Pradesh and remaining parts of India also,” she said after assuming the charge. Earlier, in the cotton season 2012-13, seed kapas prices in Andhra Pradesh fell below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) due to which farmers had to face a tough time. However, now the prices of cotton in the state are above MSP.
To ensure stability of seed kapas prices in Andhra Pradesh and timely remunerative prices to farmers, state-run Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) procured 22.60 lakh bales during the November-February 2013 period, effectively. In the last three months, cotton prices have jumped about 15 per cent to Rs 38,000 a candy (356 kg).
Speaking on the occasion, Lakshmi said, she would also focus on boosting the handloom sector. Earlier, the government had announced two mega clusters for handlooms one for Andhra Pradesh and another one for Jharkhand, she said. “I will also like to ensure that work for these clusters would start immediately,” she said. (Source: Tecoya Trend)