Farmers Face Price Drop Fear as They Struggle to Dry Harvested Cotton
Uma Gandhan, a farmer from Valathamangalam village in Thirunallar commune, was using a fan to dry his cotton in a part of his house, a method employed by hundreds of farmers in the region affected by recent off-season rains. Cotton is grown on over 2,500 acres in the district.
"I had raised cotton on two acres, and during harvesting, I found many cotton flowers had high moisture content. Now, I am trying to dry the cotton using a fan, but I am facing considerable losses this time," said Uma Gandhan.
“Private traders who usually purchase from us are unwilling to settle for a fair price due to the poor quality of cotton caused by the recent rain. I can harvest cotton from the field only after receiving confirmation from a trader. Despite applying all the recommended chemicals, the rain damage couldn’t be reversed,” explained P. Pandiyan, a farmer from Thennankudi village.
“For one acre, a farmer spends about ₹60,000. We pluck cotton in four rounds, with the first round typically yielding the best quality cotton, assuring a return on our investment. This time, the first round was compromised as rainwater entered the crop before the flower burst. We expect our insurance money and government relief soon. However, officials cite the Model Code of Conduct as the reason for delaying our relief,” said P.G. Somu, Joint Secretary of Delta Vivasayigal Sangam.
“Traders are offering ₹50-60 per kg of cotton, leading to significant losses,” he added.
D.N. Suresh from the Kadaimadai Vivasayigal Sangam claimed the district regulated market was ineffective in procurement as it couldn’t attract many traders. “The government marketing committee, like private traders, should procure directly from the field. Our regulated market in town isn’t effective during a crisis. Transporting cotton to Karaikal town is expensive, adding to our losses,” he said.
*Auction Soon*
A district-level official from the Agriculture Marketing Department announced that cotton auctions would start soon in conjunction with other regulated markets in Tamil Nadu.
“We are in discussions with marketing committees in Tamil Nadu and plan to start cotton auctions in our regulated market from the second week of June. We are taking steps to attract traders to secure good rates. We have advised farmers to dry their cotton and delay the harvest for better prices.”
A district-level Agriculture Department official told The Hindu, “We have estimated a 30% loss in the total harvest across the district and have reported this to higher officials in the Puducherry government. We expect an announcement related to crop relief after the Lok Sabha election results.”
“The Government of India has set the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for this year at ₹66.20 per kg. If prices fall below this, we expect the Cotton Corporation of India to step in and procure the cotton,” he added.
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