Cotton Mills Going Through Crises Due To Poor Harvest In Kurnool District

KURNOOL: Cotton supply has sharply declined in the Adoni area of Kurnool district, creating a severe crisis in the 30 to 35 cotton-based units in the region.

This year, farmers around Adoni had cultivated cotton over 5.42 lakh acres, expecting a yield of 8–10 quintals per acre. However, due to unfavourable weather conditions, particularly heavy rainfall during September and October, their yield fell by about 50 per cent.

The situation worsened with Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) officials rejecting the produce of many farmers due to high moisture content – more than 12 per cent –poor quality and size of cotton seeds.

CCI offered a maximum price of ₹8,279 per quintal. It initially accepted from each farmer only 4 to 6 quintals of cotton, instead purchasing their entire stock. Traders took advantage of this by buying cotton at lower prices than this amount.

After the district collector’s intervention, CCI increased the limit to 10 quintals per farmer. Most farmers had already sold their produce to traders by then.

Cotton mills in the area are now facing severe difficulties, as production and fresh arrivals remain limited. Each mill requires around 50,000–60,000 quintals of cotton per day to operate efficiently. For each cotton machine to function to the best of its capacity, at least 2,000 quintals of cotton is needed as raw material.

Many cotton mill owners warn that without sufficient supply, their machines will have to remain idle, leading to recurring expenses that are financially harmful.

“Around 8 to 10 cotton units are on the verge of closure. If cotton supply to the mills does not improve, we may have to shut down,” said a unit owner on condition of anonymity.

The district collector recently visited some cotton mills in Adoni. He instructed officials that if the CCI rejects stocks due to moisture or quality issues, they should support farmers by allowing them to sell their produce directly to cotton mills.

Farmers are hesitant about selling their piled-up cotton stocks over pricing issues, owing to quality issues being raised by mill owners.