CCI To Buy Cotton Across Telangana From Oct. 21
Farmers to seek help from agriculture officers and progressive farmers for slot booking to minimise waiting times: Union minister G. Kishan Reddy
HYDERABAD: Union minister G. Kishan Reddy announced that the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) will begin cotton procurement in Telangana from October 21, after Diwali at 122 centres. He urged farmers to locate the nearest centre and book time slots through the Kapas Kisan app to avoid delays and inconvenience.
Addressing farmers after a review meeting with CCI officials, Kishan Reddy advised them to seek help from agriculture officers and progressive farmers for slot booking to minimise waiting times. He stressed the need to ensure that cotton moisture levels do not exceed 12 per cent for procurement eligibility.
Kishan Reddy said the Kapas Kisan app, available in nine Indian languages, provides details of procurement centres and ginning mills. He cautioned farmers against brokers and middlemen, saying the app ensures transparency and prevents exploitation. He added that the minimum support price for long-staple cotton has been raised to ₹8,110 per quintal, up from ₹4,050 in 2014.
He said the Centre has spent ₹58,000 crore in Telangana and ₹7,000 crore in Andhra Pradesh in the last decade to support cotton procurement, totalling ₹65,000 crore. He noted that procurement volumes rose sharply to 473 lakh bales worth ₹1,37,000 crore between 2014 and 2024, compared with 173 lakh bales worth ₹24,800 crore in the previous decade.
Highlighting Telangana’s rapid expansion of cotton cultivation to 45.34 lakh acres involving over 22 lakh farmers, he said the state has emerged as India’s top cotton producer. He urged the adoption of high-density plantation techniques, citing the successful model in Akola, Maharashtra, and directed agriculture and CCI officials to organise farmer training visits.
The minister informed that the central government has launched the Kapas Kranti Mission with an outlay of ₹600 crore to enhance productivity and improve farmer welfare. The initiative aims to strengthen cotton procurement, promote digital empowerment, and boost production in Telangana and across the country.
