Sunny weather Brings Relief to Cotton Farmers in Adilabad

ADILABAD: Improved weather conditions have brightened the prospects for farmers to secure the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹8,110 per quintal for cotton with a moisture content below 8 per cent. After several days of incessant rain, sunny and dry weather has returned to the erstwhile Adilabad district, bringing much-needed relief to cotton growers.

Private traders generally reduce the MSP based on moisture levels, and the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) also imposes restrictions on the permissible moisture percentage. The current dry spell is helping farmers lower the moisture content in their produce, increasing their chances of fetching better prices.

Farmers, who were earlier worried about continuous rains and crop damage, are regaining confidence as their cotton dries under the sunlight. However, agricultural officials estimate a 25 per cent fall in overall cotton yield this season due to earlier bad weather conditions.

The risk of cotton bolls turning black or getting damaged by rain has now been averted, as the sunlight is helping the crop dry naturally. Cotton was cultivated in 4.30 lakh acres in Adilabad district and 3.34 lakh acres in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district during the kharif season.

Agriculture officials in Komaram Bheem Asifabad expect a yield of around 38 lakh quintals of cotton this season. District administrations in both Adilabad and Komaram Bheem Asifabad are preparing to begin cotton procurement from the first week of November. The CCI is also planning to open its purchase centres at designated locations to start commercial operations.

Farmer Anand Rao of Mamidiguda in Adilabad Rural mandal said, “The wet cotton bolls are drying well under sunlight, which will help reduce moisture levels. There are no foggy conditions in forest areas now, which were a concern earlier.”