Farmers demand CCI to procure cotton in Adilabad

Adilabad: Farmers staged a protest against the Cotton Corporation of India for stalling procurement of the cotton produce at an agriculture market in Adilabad on Friday.

The farmers from several parts of the district arrived at the market expecting the CCI would buy the produce in the early morning. They were shocked when the officials told them that the cotton would not be purchased. They said that they brought the produce to the market by facing hardships and hiring private vehicles.

The growers demanded the CCI to buy the produce from the farmers at the earliest. They regretted that they would be forced to sell the produce to private traders at lower prices, incurring losses. They requested the district officials to ensure that the corporation procure the cotton. Local MLA Payal Shankar told officials of the CCI to resume buying the cotton.

The CCI did not procure the cotton citing lack of ginning mills to store the produce. They stated that eighteen mills located in the district were already filled up. They informed farmers that they would restart the procurement soon.