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Cotton procurement at MSP expands 4% to top 104 crore bales.Procurement of cotton at minimum support price by the state-run Cotton Corporation of India for the ongoing marketing season 2025-26 has crossed 104 crore bales of 170 kg each. This is about 4 per cent higher than last year’s 100.16 lakh bales.Telangana tops the list of states where the maximum quantity has been procured, followed by Maharashtra and Gujarat.Lalit Kumar Gupta, Chairman cum managing director, CCI told that the procurement has touched 104.01 crore bales till date. The cotton procurement season is in the ending stage with March 13 being the last date for purchase at MSP.Further, Gupta said CCI has sold about 17.50 lakh bales from the 2025-26 crop so far.Statewise Telangana tops the list where CCI has procured maximum quantity of cotton, followed by Maharashtra and Gujarat.CCI had purchased 31.70 lakh bales in Telangana and 27.23 lakh bales in Maharashtra.In Gujarat, the cotton procured till date is 19.96 lakh bales.Karnataka is the fourth largest state where cotton procurement stood at 7.01 lakh bales.In Madhya Pradesh, the procurement has exceeded 5.55 lakh bales, while in Andhra Pradesh it stood at 3.90 lakh bales. In Rajasthan, the procured quantity of cotton stood at 3.46 lakh bales.CCI has procured 2.70 lakh bales in Odisha, 2.04 lakh bales in Haryana and 0.47 lakh bales in Punjab.Cotton procurement during 2025-26 is likely to be the second highest in volumes since 2019-20, when the state agency had procured over 1.05 crore last bales. Last year, CCI had procured 1 crore bales.As per the second advance estimates released early this week by the Agriculture Ministry, the cotton production during 2025-26 season is estimated at 290.91 lakh bales of 170 kg each, lower than last year’s 297.24 lakh bales on reduced acreages, excess rains hurting the output.Recently, trade body Cotton Association of India (CAI) had revised upwards the crop estimate for 2025-26 by around 2.5 per cent or 7.5 lakh bales of 170 kg each to 317 lakh bales on higher than estimated production in Maharashtra and Telangana. CAI, has projected a year-end surplus 122.59 lakh bales for the 2025-26 season, up 56% year-on-year on record imports of 50 lakh bales during the year.read more:-   Rupee Opens 24 Paise Lower at 92.27

Rupee Opens 24 Paise Lower at 92.27/USDThe Indian Rupee opened 24 paise lower at 92.27 against the dollar on Thursday, compared to its closing level of 92.03 on Wednesday.READ MORE :- Nagpur's cotton farmers deprived of MSP

Cotton farmers of Nagpur deprived of MSPCotton farmers in Nagpur district are facing serious financial problems this year due to bad weather and complicated procurement process. The price of cotton in the open market is below the Minimum Support Price (MSP), but the complex registration and procurement process of the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has forced many farmers to sell cotton to traders at lower prices.Cotton was sown in 2.21 lakh hectares in the district this season. Crop growth remained slow due to weather uncertainty and intermittent rains. Later, due to sunshine and balanced rains, the crop improved, but compared to earlier, the cotton crop was ready only in late November and early December.Farmers were putting the sale of cotton on hold in the hope of getting the benefit of MSP. However, CCI fixed district-wise quota and the complicated registration and slot booking process on the ‘Cotton Kisan’ app increased the problems of farmers. Due to many farmers not getting slots on time, they had to sell cotton to traders at a price lower than the MSP.Eight CCI procurement centers have been started in Nagpur district. But due to distance from the centres, cost of cotton transportation and labor and time constraints in unloading the cotton, many farmers could not reach them. Due to this, expected procurement activity did not take place at the Central Procurement Centres.The average price of cotton in the open market is Rs 7,350 per quintal, which is Rs 350 to Rs 1,010 less than the MSP of long staple cotton at Rs 8,110. Farmers allege that CCI is reducing the rates in the name of moisture and is not purchasing at the actual MSP.CCI has extended the last date of procurement from February 28 to March 15, but it is unlikely that most of the farmers in the district will get any benefit from this. Many farmers had also stored cotton in the hope of higher prices, but international market events and falling prices dashed their hopes.Cotton farmer Sanjay Wankhade said the government only shows sympathy with the MSP announcements, but processes like registration, slot booking and quota have put farmers in trouble. He also expressed his displeasure with the local public representatives for not taking action.read more :- 

The Indian rupee on Wednesday lower 09  paise to close at 92.03 per dollar, while it opened at 91.94 in the morning.At close, the Sensex was down 1,342.27 points or 1.72 percent at 76,863.71, and the Nifty was down 394.75 points or 1.63 percent at 23,866.85. About 1807 shares advanced, 2277 shares declined, and 138 shares unchanged.read more :- Crude Spike Could Push Textile Prices Up 20%

Crude price spike threaten 20% rise in textile pricesSurat: A surge in crude oil and coal prices, triggered by global tensions, is squeezing Surat's textile industry, pushing up production costs and raising concerns of a steep rise in the prices of sarees, dress materials and garments.Industry players said MMF prices could rise by around 20% as the cost of chemicals, yarn, weaving and processing has increased in recent days. Surat, which has a daily production capacity of around 6 crore metres of greige fabric, is already witnessing the impact of rising input costs and weak market demand.Crude oil, which was trading at around $75 a barrel a week ago, surged to $120 a barrel on Monday, before dropping sharply to about $92. The volatility has directly impacted petroleum-based yarn products, particularly polyester and nylon. In several yarn categories, prices have increased by Rs 10 to Rs 30 per kg, adding to the burden on manufacturers."There is a sharp rise in yarn prices and, in the current scenario, weavers prefer to stop buying and observe a holiday for one or two days a week. For a small weaver, it is not affordable to continue business in such conditions," said Mayur Golwala, secretary of Sachin Industrial Society.Weaving units in Surat are buying yarn cautiously at higher prices as fabric demand remains weak. "Yarn prices are rising due to higher raw material costs, while fabric demand is low, so we are not getting good prices. Major markets like Dubai are also stagnant, limiting orders," said Vijay Mevawala, former president of the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI)."The cost of yarn manufacturing is rising due to the war and increasing crude prices. These prices depend largely on international factors," said Himanshu Jariwala, a yarn manufacturer.Traders said the market is unusually slow at a time when production typically gathers pace ahead of the festive season, when demand for textile products generally rises. "There is already slow business in textiles at present. If the situation continues, it could push finished product prices up by at least 20%," said Kailash Hakim, president of the Federation of Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA) Forum.The pressure has intensified further with coal prices rising by nearly 35% over the past 15 days. Textile processors, who depend heavily on coal for operations, have started increasing processing charges to offset the higher fuel costs.read more :- Textile recycling market in India estimated at $3.5 billion by 2030

India's textile recycling market is estimated to reach $3.5 billion by 2030, could add 1 lakh jobs: ReportThe report, “Mapping the Textile Waste Value Chain in India”, highlights the country’s strong potential to lead the global shift towards sustainable and circular textile production.About 70.73 lakh tonnes of textile waste is generated every year in India. Of this, 42% comes from pre-consumer sources (manufacturing waste) and 58% from post-consumer disposal. More than 70% of the total waste is recovered and directed to recycling, reusing, upcycling or downcycling.The study has also identified Panipat as a major hub for mechanical textile recycling, where waste from several textile clusters is taken for processing. Developing recycling facilities close to textile hubs can improve efficiency and strengthen India's circular textile ecosystem.About 95% of pre-consumer waste is recovered, while the spinning sector reuses almost 100% of its waste within production through closed-loop processes. Additionally, approximately 55% of post-consumer textile waste is diverted from landfills through extensive informal collection and sorting networks.This informal ecosystem supports the livelihood of 40-45 lakh people, mainly women from marginalized communities who are involved in collecting, sorting and redistributing used textiles.read more :- Rupee Opens 14 Paise Lower at 91.94

Rupee Opens 14 Paise Lower at 91.94/USDThe Indian Rupee opened 14 paise lower at 91.94 against the dollar on Wednesday, compared to its Tuesday close of 91.80.READ MORE :- The rupee closed 13 paisa higher against the dollar at 91.80

On Tuesday the Indian rupee opened at 91.93 against the dollar and closed 13 paisa higher at 91.80.At close, the Sensex was up 639.82 points or 0.82 percent at 78,205.98, and the Nifty was up 233.55 points or 0.97 percent at 24,261.60. About 2998 shares advanced, 1111 shares declined, and 125 shares unchanged.read more :- Shortage of laborers in Maregaon, cotton picking affected

Cotton picking affected due to shortage of laborers in Maregaon areaCotton picking season is currently going on in Maregaon (Maharashtra) station area and surrounding villages, but farmers are not getting enough laborers to pick cotton. At present, laborers are being paid at the rate of Rs 20 to 25 per kg for picking cotton, yet cotton is still lying in many fields because the laborers are not ready to work on daily wages.Due to shortage of labourers, cotton is not being plucked on time in many fields. Farmers say that if cotton is not plucked on time, the chances of it getting spoiled and getting wasted increases. In such a situation, low production, low prices in the market and shortage of laborers – these three problems have increased the concern of the farmers.Along with this, cotton is also being purchased at low prices in many villages of the area. Farmers say that to grow cotton, they have to spend heavily on fertilizers, seeds, medicines and labor, but due to not getting fair price at the time of sale, they get very little profit. Farmers have demanded the government to pay serious attention to this problem and find a suitable solution.read more :- UK said: India-UK FTA now focused on delivery

India-UK FTA focus 'decisively shifted from signing to delivery': UK The focus of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (CETA) has ‘decisively shifted from signing to delivery’, and that work is progressing apace, according to Jason Stockwood, UK Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade and HM Treasury.The agreement is expected to “enter into force before the end of Spring,” Stockwood, who was speaking during a debate on the CETA in the House of Lords recently, said.The British Parliament is in the process of ratifying the agreement, with peers and MPs debating all aspects of the agreement in both houses before implementation expected by next month. The deal is set to unlock £25.5 billion in bilateral trade by 2040.Stockwood went on to describe the CETA as a ‘momentous achievement’, which goes well beyond ‘India’s precedent’ to open the door for UK businesses.“India will drop tariffs on 90 per cent of its lines, covering 92 per cent of current UK exports, giving the UK tariff savings of £400 million per year immediately on entry into force. This will rise to £900 million per year 10 years from now, even if there is no increase in trade. India’s average tariff will fall from 15 per cent to 3 per cent,” Stockwood highlighted.The United Kingdom logged £47.2 billion pounds in trade with India in last year, up by 15 per cent year on year, making India the country’s 11th-largest trading partner, the minister revealed.“Only the UK has secured access to India’s £38 billion federal procurement market,” he pointed out.Several others noted ‘missed opportunities’, with the pact being heavily weighted towards goods and leaving considerable scope for further work on services and investment facilitation.read more :- Rupee Opens 40 Paise Higher at 91.93

Rupee Opens 40 Paise Higher at 91.93/USDThe Indian Rupee opened 40 paise higher on Tuesday at 91.93 against the dollar, compared to its closing level of 92.33 on Monday.READ MORE :- New deadline for Export Obligation extended till 31st August