Protest by ginning mills leaves agriculture market yards deserted in Adilabad

Ginning mills across the erstwhile Adilabad district went on strike against CCI’s categorisation of mills, shutting down cotton markets and affecting farmers. Millers demanded withdrawal of the system and removal of restrictions on moisture content and purchase limits at procurement centres.

Adilabad: Agriculture market yards wore a deserted look on Monday as ginning mills across the erstwhile Adilabad district went on strike protesting the categorisation of mills by the Cotton Corporation of India.

Markets in Adilabad, Asifabad, Nirmal and other parts of the region remained closed following the protest. Farmers stayed away from bringing cotton to the yards, and those who had booked slots did not turn up, leaving the facilities largely empty.

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Raju Chinthawar, president of the Adilabad Ginning Mills Association, said categorising mills as L1, L2 and L3 was a meaningless exercise by the CCI, causing inconvenience to both farmers and mill owners. He demanded that the corporation withdraw the move immediately, stating that only a few mills were able to procure cotton due to the categorisation.

Over 80 ginning mills operate in the erstwhile Adilabad district, including 33 in Adilabad and 17 in Kumram Bheem Asifabad, with the remaining units located in Mancherial and Nirmal districts. Farmers said they were facing difficulties because of the strike and urged the government to address the demands of the millers.

Meanwhile, members of a joint action committee staged a sit-in at the CCI Adilabad unit office, demanding procurement of cotton without restrictions on moisture content. They argued that cotton naturally contains more than twenty per cent moisture. They also sought removal of the cap on the quantity of cotton that can be purchased from each farmer.

In Khammam, cotton procurement was going on at the agriculture market but was stopped at CCI procurement centres. It was learnt that the millers reportedly told the farmers that procurement would be resumed after stopping for a while in the morning.