CCI has purchased 86 lakh bales of cotton so far

05-Feb-2025 11:59 AM

The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has significantly ramped up its cotton procurement this season. As of now, CCI has purchased 86 lakh bales of cotton across the country, a sharp increase compared to the previous marketing season when only 32.84 lakh bales were procured.

The agency is buying cotton at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to support farmers amid a drop in demand and pricing in the domestic market, which is being impacted by the reduced activity of the textile industry and traders.

Currently, the CCI is buying about 80% of the cotton that reaches the mandis, with traders purchasing only a limited quantity.

The agency has assured farmers that it will continue to buy cotton as long as it keeps arriving at the government purchase centers.

In Warangal Mandi (Telangana), for instance, CCI bought 6837 quintals of cotton, while traders bought just 630 quintals.

Despite a 7.5% increase in the MSP for cotton, the market price of pure cotton (lint) has been lower compared to last year.

CCI's procurement efforts are expected to continue until March 15, although there have been minor delays in some places due to space constraints.

In Maharashtra, for example, procurement faced delays in late January due to heavy arrivals, with 38.50 lakh bales being procured up to that point.

The government has also emphasized that farmers should not sell their cotton at throwaway prices in mandis and should instead bring it to the CCI centers.