Telangana ginning mills to resume operations on Nov 19 as CCI promises resolution

CCI held high-level talks with the Telangana Ginners Association, assuring resolution of procurement issues within 10 days. Mills are reopening after a two-day shutdown, while farmers’ bodies warn of agitation if the Centre and State fail to deliver fair cotton prices

Hyderabad: Amid mounting political attacks from the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which has blamed both the Congress-led State government and the BJP-led Centre for the collapse of cotton procurement, a high-level team from the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) held crucial talks with the Telangana Ginners Association in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

Led by its Chairman and Managing Director Lalit Kumar Gupta, the CCI delegation once again assured the association that all issues related to cotton procurement would be resolved within the next 10 days.

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However, officials made it clear that no immediate on-the-spot solutions could be offered. Telangana Ginners Association president B Ravinder Reddy has been tasked with ensuring the swift reopening of ginning mills across the State. The move is aimed at restoring smooth transactions in market yards, which have been paralysed by the two-day shutdown of ginning mills.

The association welcomed the CCI’s commitment but underlined the urgency of the situation, with thousands of cotton farmers in distress due to piling stocks and plummeting prices.

Meanwhile, the State government has committed to submitting a detailed report to the Cotton Corporation of India and Union Minister of Textiles, along with specific recommendations urging the Centre to act swiftly and ensure a fair deal for Telangana’s cotton growers. Association leaders said they did not insist on a written assurance this time, citing categorical verbal commitments from Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and State Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao.

“We had received similar assurances ahead of our planned strike on November 6, but the government failed to honour them, leaving us with no option but to shut down for two days,” they said.

Around 260 ginning mills are set to resume operations from Wednesday, with another 30–40 expected to join by the weekend. Farmers’ bodies and ginners have warned of widespread agitation if further delays occur.