Officials gearing up for cotton procurement in erstwhile Khammam

Officials in Khammam and Kothagudem are preparing for cotton procurement this season, with over 53 lakh quintals expected. Farmers must register via the Kapas Kisan app. Telangana Rythu Sangham has urged CCI to ease app registration rules for rural farmers

Khammam: District administrations in Khammam and Kothagudem have been gearing up for cotton procurement in the current season.

According to agriculture officials, cotton was cultivated in 2.25 lakh acres in Khammam and about 27.07 lakh quintals yield is expected. It is proposed to procure the produce at five Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) centres and nine ginning mills.

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Agricultural Marketing Regional Deputy Director Padmavati said that in the wake of the falling price of cotton in the open market, action has been taken to purchase through CCI by paying the minimum support price.

The support price for quality cotton with eight per cent moisture is Rs 8110 per quintal. If the moisture percentage decreases, the support price will decrease, and agricultural officials should create awareness among farmers about this, she said.

Padmavati said cotton farmers could book a slot from home using the Kapas Kisan app. For cotton purchase-related services, farmers should contact toll-free number 18005995779 and WhatsApp number 8897281111.

In Kothagudem, agriculture officials estimated that cotton crop was cultivated in 1.72 lakh acres and 26.56 lakh quintals yield is expected. Six CCI purchase centres have been set up in the district.

Meanwhile, Telangana Rythu Sangham district secretary Bonthu Rambabu wanted the CCI to relax the rule of purchasing cotton only from farmers who registered their names in the Kapas Kisan app. The CCI decision might cause a loss for cotton farmers.

He said that farmers in rural areas might not have access to smartphones or may not even know how to handle the app. Hence, the produce should be procured according to the records of farmers available with the agricultural department, he added.