Cotton procurement standoff persists: Ginning mills relent by postponing strike

The Telangana State Cotton Association deferred its indefinite bandh after assurances from State and Central officials, but key issues over CCI’s new procurement rules remain unresolved. Ginning units and farmers continue to express discontent amid ongoing talks for resolution.

Hyderabad: The impasse over cotton procurement in Telangana shows no signs of resolution, despite the Telangana State Cotton Association postponing its indefinite bandh following assurances from state and central government officials.

New regulations by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), including ginning charges and mill selection disparities, continue to fuel discontent among farmers and ginning mills. While purchases went on as usually with the bandh scheduled to commence on Thursday deferred, the issues impacting cotton procurement remained unaddressed. The association’s executive committee has clarified that the bandh will be permanently withdrawn only if problems are fully resolved.

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In recent discussions involving Agriculture Marketing Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao, Principal Secretary Surendra Mohan, CCI chief managers and Association President Ravinder Reddy, the State government said it was committed to addressing the cotton ginning industry’s concerns.

“We urge you to postpone the indefinite bandh based on the Minister’s word. We’ve already sent a detailed letter to the central government outlining your issues,” Surendra Mohan said.

Additionally, the State government is in touch with Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh and it has secured a promise to resolve the matters at the earliest. Despite being occupied with Bihar elections, Singh assured the State to make all efforts for a swift resolution. He also assured to discuss issues with the representatives of the Telangana Cotton Association upon their visit to Delhi,” he added.

CCI branch managers further revealed plans to operationalize 75% of ginning units statewide within 2-3 days, with the rest to follow based on central directives.The association’s committee, after deliberations, decided to defer the bandh scheduled from November 6. It has welcomed the efforts being made in the direction of finding solutions to the issues. “We’ll postpone for a few days, but if solutions are not forthcoming , we’ll resume the strike,” representatives said.

This temporary reprieve aims at preventing further disruptions, but farmers and millers warn that the standoff could continue without concrete action.

The CCI’s new L1, L2, L3 grading system, capping moisture at 12%, and ginning charges fixed at Rs 1,345 per bale have resulted in losses for mills. With 341 mills in Telangana, many face exclusion from opportunities under the revised rules. Issues faced in procurement have sparked protests by farmers in different districts including Nalgonda, Warangal, and Hanamkonda.