Bathinda: The arrival of raw cotton has commenced in Punjab’s mandis, with the first batch of 5 quintals being sold at ₹7,154 per quintal in the Malout grain market on Thursday. While the minimum support price (MSP) for the current season is set at ₹7,421 per quintal for 27.5-28.5mm long staple cotton, this MSP will only come into effect from October 1. Until then, the previous MSP of ₹6,920 per quintal for the same variety will remain applicable until September 30.
This year marks a significant shift as cotton cultivation in Punjab has fallen below 1 lakh hectares for the first time in decades. Muktsar district mandi officer, Ajaypal Singh, noted that small quantities of cotton had started arriving in Muktsar earlier in the week, with the first arrival at Malout recorded on Thursday.
