In view of the area under cotton increasing two-fold this year, the Telangana Government has urged the Centre to open 150 business centres of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to enable farmers sell their produce. It has also sought relaxation in CCI purchasing norms as cotton gets discoloured to some extent due to heavy rains in October and November.
During his meeting with Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, Telangana Minister for Irrigation and Marketing T Harish Rao suggested that the CCI cotton collection centres should be open on all six working days during the season with full-fledged staff. He said that for easy transactions and online payment of sale proceeds to the farmers, the CCI could use the payment gateway of e-NAM. This will also prevent delay in payments to growers.
Rao sought supply of hand machines to farmers on subsidy basis, as it would help them pick cotton while avoiding contamination and also address the problem of labour shortage. He also sought supply of bags to pick the cotton.