CCI and Maharashtra Marketing Federation to Jointly Procure Cotton
Maharashtra: Nearly five lakh farmers in the state have registered through the Cotton Farmer App for this season’s procurement. However, cotton arrivals remain low, and procurement is yet to begin, said Lalit Kumar Gupta, Chairman of the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI). The Maharashtra State Cooperative Marketing Federation (MSCMF) will partner with the CCI for procurement operations, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU).
At present, cotton prices in the open market range between ₹7,000 and ₹7,500 per quintal. With arrivals expected to increase, the CCI has planned to establish 150 procurement centers across Maharashtra this season.
To better estimate arrivals and ensure transparency, the CCI has made registration on the Cotton Farmer Portal mandatory. About five lakh farmers have already registered, and once local market committees verify their details, they will be allotted time slots to bring their produce to the designated procurement centers. Farmers will be able to sell their cotton on any day of the week according to their assigned slot.
This year’s procurement process marks a renewed collaboration between the CCI and the MSCMF. Two years ago, the Federation had purchased cotton from the CCI on a commission basis. However, a pending payment of ₹90 crore from the central government—related to an interest differential—has delayed progress. Follow-up efforts have been underway for two years, with the Chief Minister and the State Marketing Minister pursuing resolution. According to Federation sources, once the issue is settled, the process of opening procurement centers will move forward. Of the proposed 150 centers, around 20 to 22 are expected to be operated by the Marketing Federation, pending completion of technical formalities, said Prasannajit Patil, Vice President of MSCMF, Mumbai.
“More than five lakh farmers have registered. While cotton has started arriving at CCI centers in other parts of the country, there have been no arrivals in Maharashtra yet. The Cotton Kisan App will help track arrivals accurately,”— Lalit Kumar Gupta, Chairman, Cotton Corporation of India
“The registration process on the Cotton Kisan App is simple. However, many farmers have submitted multiple registrations using the same documents. It’s important to consolidate these into a single verified application to save time for market committee staff. The process needs to be simplified,”— Sameer Pendke, Secretary, Market Committee, Wardha
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