Nagpur: The Dussehra ‘muhurat’ deal for cotton — a symbolic gesture to mark the beginning of the buying season — has come as a dissappointment for farmers. The opening rate offered to growers is between Rs 6,800 and Rs 7,000 a quintal, which is slightly below minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 7020 fixed for long staple cotton.
Cotton is the main crop for farmers in most parts of Vidarbha with soyabean being the second most popular one.
Soyabean is fetching up to Rs 4800 a quintal — barely above the MSP of Rs 4600. The rate is still better than what farmers received last year. However, large tracts of farmlands are affected by the yellow mosaic virus this year, thus bringing down the yield.
Dussehra marks the beginning of harvest/selling for farmers. While cotton bales start reaching the market around this time, soyabean comes a little early. No doubt, the current rates have proved a dampener for growers ahead of the Diwali season.
On Wednesday, Shetkari Swabhiman Paksha leader from Buldhana, Ravikant Tupkar, announced his plan to tour all districts of Vidarbha and Marathwada to mobilise farmers for a massive protest. “The rally would end at Shegaon in Buldhana on November 20. If the demands are not met by then, a massive agitation will be held across the state,” he said.
Tupkar wants the state to announce loan waiver for farmers. As per his own calculations, cotton must get at least Rs 12,000 a quintal and soyabean Rs 10,000 for the farmers to make profits.
Vijay Jawandhia, a veteran farm activist from Wardha, said cotton has fetched around Rs 6,800 while soyabean is getting Rs 4800. However, the yield this year is abysmally low due to yellow mosaic virus attack. There are reports of per acre harvest coming down to barely two quintals. Cotton harvest is also expected to be below expectation, Jawandhia said.
Traders says the actual picture will be clear as the buying season proceeds. A trader at the Hinganghat market yard of Wardha district said cotton arrival is very less at present. “There are reports of some non-irrigated fields giving poor yield of cotton. By the time rates improve, a large number of farmers may end up selling their produce,” said the trader.
Piyush Bothra, a dealer in farm inputs in Maregaon in Yavatmal, said farmers are talking about pests other than pink bollworm which causes significant damage to the cotton crop.
Manish Jadhav, a farmer from Yavatmal, said traders buying cotton directly from the field are offering as low as Rs 6500 a quintal. Some soyabean farmers may not get more than a quintal per acre.
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