Cotton procurement to resume, gets Govt nod
20 Apr 2020 10:15:57
Staff Reporter :
Private traders allowed to procure non-FAQ grade cotton, while following the COVID-19 guidelines
Maharashtra Government has allowed cotton procurement to resume across the State, with a condition that all guidelines regarding COVID-19 must be followed. Maharashtra State Co-operative Cotton Growers’ Marketing Federation (or, Cotton Federation), will resume fair average quality (FAQ) cotton procurement from Tuesday.
Private traders have been allowed to procure non-FAQ grade cotton. Balasaheb Patil, Co-operation and Marketing Minister, announced to resume cotton procurement across Maharashtra from April 20. Anantrao Deshmukh, Chairman of Cotton Federation, told ‘The Hitavada’ on Sunday that the federation was authorised to procure only FAQ grade cotton as sub-agent of Cotton Corporation of India. “Accordingly, we will resume procurement of FAQ grade cotton. State Government has sent letter to Collectors of the districts where cotton procurement can be done,” he said. Deshmukh said that the federation would start procurement in Amravati district from Tuesday. Amravati district has seven centres. Of these, three will start procuring cotton from Tuesday and one from Wednesday. As far as other districts are concerned, procurement will resume wherever it is possible. Zonal Managers of the federation are being contacted in various parts of the State to streamline the procurement process in co-ordination with respective district administration.
The list of cotton-growers who had registered with Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) is ready. At present, however, funds with the Cotton Federation stand exhausted. Previously, Deshmukh said, the Government had approved loan of Rs 2,300 crore. Now, fresh loan of Rs 1,000 crore has been approved, but it will take a few days as the bank guarantee and other formalities are to be completed, he added. Besides, the federation is waiting for the Government to release margin money of Rs 100 crore. “We need funds. For, if cotton is procured, farmers will have to be paid in seven days,” he said. Meanwhile, according to Deshmukh, in Amravati district, some ginning factories pointed out some problems including labour shortage, damage caused to spare part of the press and non-availability of the same immediately. At such places, the procurement process will go slow, Deshmukh said. But, at each of the centers, social distancing norms will be followed. Deshmukh had requested the State Government to allow private traders to procure non-FAQ grade cotton. Accordingly, it has been done. Anoop Kumar, Principal Secretary (Marketing), has issued a letter in this regard.
‘Maintain social distancing at APMC yard’ Anoop Kumar, Principal Secretary (Marketing), has issued a letter to District Collectors of Nagpur, Yavatmal, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Nanded, Jalgaon, Beed, Parbhani and Aurangabad asking them to make necessary arrangements to resume cotton procurement. He has asked them to issue certain guidelines to ensure social distancing at ginning and pressing factories and cotton procurement centres, including regulating the number of vehicles allowed at Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yards. Private traders have been allowed to procure non-FAQ grade cotton, in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines. Passes/identity cards should be issued to officers, employees, labourer, loaders, etc involved in cotton procurement and related process, for travel to and fro their residence and ginning/pressing factory concerned. Bawankule demands cotton, paddy, procurement at support
Chandrashekhar Bawankule, former Guardian Minister of Nagpur district, has urged the State Government to start cotton procurement centres at the earliest. He has sent a letter in this regard to Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister of Maharashtra. In the letter, he demanded that cotton should be procured at the support price of Rs 5,550/- per quintal. Besides, farmes should be given Rs 700/- per quintal bonus for paddy procurement, and Chana should be procured at the rate of Rs 4,875/- per quintal. In all these procurements, money should be given to farmers immediately to provide them relief, he demanded.